Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside

This book could be called the beauty of idealism or the death of it. The only knowledge I have about China has come from literature and my Uncle (professor of anthropology who sadly passed away recently) who traveled there. The knowledge I have of teaching in foreign countries also came from him and another Uncle- stories galore about culture clashes. My own experience, from having lived in Japan- because western culture sometimes seems alien by comparison, I can well relate to misunderstandings and feeling lost in a foreign setting. It's more than just a language barrier, it's the very marrow of having grown up with traditions that can't be learned from a simple book.
Thomas and Daniel are different, make no mistake, but can one be bad, the other good? I'm not sure- because there were things about both of them that were unappealing. One is eager to find purpose and the other doesn't seem to give a damn. The beauty is in Daniel's struggle to give his life meaning, to create a life, to make a difference. So many young men and women wander aimlessly after college thinking- with one thought 'now what?". It takes a lot to abandon your home country and make it anywhere else in the world, but in an exotic country as rich in culture as China-well, it isn't something many people could do. It's a fascinating look at the difference between the reality of a place as opposed to what one imagines it will be like. Do American's teaching abroad do as much harm as good? Two men with vastly different experiences of the country they are in, and their struggles with each other. One is positive, the other just taking advantage of his position. But neither will remain untouched by their experience. A strong debut.