In 1986, recent Brown University grad Gilman-then a naOve 21-year-old-embarked on an ambitious around-the-world trek, with the People's Republic of China, newly opened to unaccompanied tourists, as her starting point. What follows is an examination of the hubris of youth and its near-fatal consequences. While the audio book is an abridgment, listeners are treated to a conversation at the end between the producer and Gilman, during which the producer follows up on some lingering questions left at story's end. During this q&a, Gilman notes that, like most people, she doesn't like the sound of her recorded voice, but listeners will likely disagree with her self-critique. The production is tight, with minimal music to set the tone. An amusing, harrowing combination of coming-of-age and travel memoirs that makes for a thoroughly entertaining listen. A Grand Central hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 1). (Mar.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

Promotional Information

Bestselling author Susan Jane Gilman describes a very different kind of back-packing trip to China in which she and her college friend set out to conquer the world only to be conquered by it.

About the Author

Susan Jane Gilman is the author of Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress and Kiss My Tiara. She has written commentary for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Ms. magazine, among others, and her fiction and essays have received several literary awards. Though she has lived most recently in Geneva, Switzerland, and Washington, D.C., she remains, eternally, a child of New York.

Reviews

In 1986, recent Brown University grad Gilman-then a naOve 21-year-old-embarked on an ambitious around-the-world trek, with the People's Republic of China, newly opened to unaccompanied tourists, as her starting point. What follows is an examination of the hubris of youth and its near-fatal consequences. While the audio book is an abridgment, listeners are treated to a conversation at the end between the producer and Gilman, during which the producer follows up on some lingering questions left at story's end. During this q&a, Gilman notes that, like most people, she doesn't like the sound of her recorded voice, but listeners will likely disagree with her self-critique. The production is tight, with minimal music to set the tone. An amusing, harrowing combination of coming-of-age and travel memoirs that makes for a thoroughly entertaining listen. A Grand Central hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 1). (Mar.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

An ambitious and intimate coming-of-age novel - - KIRKUS REVIEW 'Riveting stuff; part coming-of-age story, part travel journal, part political thriller and completely unputdownable'#NAME?