Grass Soup

While doing research for our book, Travelers' Tales China, I also found Jasper Becker's The Chinese to be a remarkable work of scholarship and research. Grass Soup by Zhang Xianliang is a moving testament to the extraordinary suffering that the human race has endured due to the stupidity and cupidity of others. The present bounty of food and produce that is available in China now is an eloquent testimony to the radical failure of the kind of Communism espoused by Mao. Overall, one of my favorite writers is Paul William Roberts. His books along with those of William Dalrymple form the most extraordinary collection of Travelers' Tales and adventure--a rich source to be consulted again and again. The recurring themes of pilgrimage, spirituality and travel are frequently touched on by both Paul William Roberts and Dalrymple. Our own award winning books including The Road Within, Travelers' Tales Pilgrimage and The Spiritual Gifts of Travel also explore that startling juncture between pilgrimage, adventure and consciousness.

I would thoroughly recommend this book for anyone interested in how human relations change under extreme conditions. Despite the plain title this book provides a lively and vivid account of the author's experience, describing horrific events with a calm objectivity. Some parts are even blackly humorous. A great book which deserves to be better known.

This hard to believe story is truely gripping. Probably the most amazing thing that surprised me was when he escaped the labor camp only to find out it was WORSE on the outside of the camp (in China) and he voluntary returned on his own to the camp! Truely a glimpse into the man's soul and what he was capable of withstanding for so awfully long. Very inspiring read.