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Iron and Silk ()


GUEST REVIEW by Andrew Geller

Outstanding autobiographical account of pre-Tienamin Square China. The bizarre intersections of absurd beauracracy, Party cadres, and the timeless traditions of the ancient Chinese culture are handled with a wit and grace rarely seen. A quick and uplifting read.  Also an excellent choice for the Movie/Book page.

GRADE: A

NOTE from Orrin:

This book is from the excellent Vintage Departures imprint.  They publish a series of books about world travels and pretty much every book they've put out that I've read is terrific (see below).

Salzman's story truly is uplifting.  At a time where cultural diversity is a centrifugal force in much of the world, it's interesting to see the benefits (and amusement) that can come from cultural interaction.

(Reviewed:)

Grade: (B+)


Websites:

See also:

James Salter (2 books reviewed)
Guest Reviews
James Salter Links:

    -WIKIPEDIA: James Salter
    -INTERVIEW: James Salter, The Art of Fiction No. 133 (Interviewed by Edward HirschISSUE 127, SUMMER 1993, Paris Review)
    -
   
-ESSAY: The Salter Method On 'James Salter: Pilot, Screenwriter, Novelist' (Paul Franz, July 25, 2024, Real Clear Books)
    -ESSAY: James Salter’s Strange Career (JEFFREY MEYERS, salmagundi)
    -ESSAY: James Salter’s style: a neglected master of the American novel (Jeffrey Meyers, 8/07/22, The Article)
    -ESSAY: Beauty in the Ordinary (Carla Baricz, 12/10/20, Ploughshares)
    -REVIEW : of Light Years by James Salter (Anita Brookner, The Spectator)
    -REVIEW: of James Salter: Pilot, Screenwriter, Novelist by Jeffery Meyers (Adam Sobsey, LA Review of Books)
    -REVIEW: of James Salter: Pilot, Screenwriter, Novelist (Tom Lamont, Literary Review)

Book-related and General Links:
    -READERS GUIDE :  Lying Awake by Mark Salzman (Book Browse)

Other Vintage Departure books:

Bradshaw, Jon
    -Fast Company

Cahill, Tim
    -A Wolverine is Eating my Leg
    -Pecked to Death by Ducks
    -Jaguars Ripped My Flesh
    -Road Fever: A High-Speed Travelogue

Horwitz, Tony
    -One for the Road : Hitchhiking Through the Australian Outback

Kane, Joe
    -Running the Amazon
    -Savages

Kaplan, Robert
    -Balkan Ghosts : A Journey Through History

O'Hanlon, Redmond
    -Into the Heart of Borneo
    -In Trouble Again : A Journey Between the Orinoco and the Amazon
 

If you liked Iron and Silk, try:

McInerney, Jay
    -Ransom

Min, Anchee
    -Red Azalea
    -Katherine