Book · 2010 · Social Science
Country Driving
A Chinese Road Trip
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So the first China book is Country Driving by Peter Hler, New Yorker correspondent in a lot of way for people of my generation who went over there and lived there.
Why people recommend it
Country Driving by Peter Hessler is a non-fiction narrative chronicling the author's travels along the Great Wall of China and his observations of rapid economic and social transformation in rural Chinese communities. Matt Sheehan recommended Country Driving by Peter Hessler as his very first book recommendation on an episode of The Ezra Klein Show in September 2026. Sheehan, discussing the broader complexities of U.S.-China dynamics and policy debates, noted that the book served as an essential foundational text for a specific generation of New Yorker correspondents, expatriates, and China watchers who lived and worked in the region. He emphasized how Hessler's vivid on-the-ground reporting captured the personal and localized realities of individuals navigating a changing landscape long before it dominated modern geopolitical headlines. The book continues to be praised for its empathetic storytelling, keen sociological observations, and ability to illuminate large-scale national development through the intimate stories of ordinary citizens living in the countryside and emerging industrial towns.
Every mention
Matt Sheehan So the first China book is Country Driving by Peter Hler, New Yorker correspondent in a lot of way for peop… 1
“So the first China book is Country Driving by Peter Hler, New Yorker correspondent in a lot of way for people of my generation who went over there and lived there.”
