J. Maarten Troost

A sharply observed, hilarious account of Troost's adventures in China- a complex, fascinating country with enough dangers and delicacies to keep him, and readers, endlessly entertained.

The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation, Or how He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid

Lost on Planet China

Janet Doré

Did you know that about one-quarter of the pollution found in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains can be traced back to China? This is just one of many unsettling facts that you'll learn as you turn the pages of this travel journal by J. Maartan Troost. 

For the past several years, China has been popping up in a lot of conversations...and dialogues...and monologues. I cannot count the number of times I've heard that my kids should be taking Mandarin in high school in preparation for the upcoming economic revolution. As much of a wanderer as I am, I doubted I would ever make it to China...life goes quickly and I have been swept up on a completely different wave of travel. I am quite at peace about this...because China intimidates me. I think the whole experience of visiting this chaotic country might just bring this seasoned traveler to her knees. So when I went to the library in search of another laugh in the form of a JMT book, I was quite happy to find this one that would allow for a purely vicarious wander through China.

Thank God. After I closed the cover at the end of the book, I had no doubt that I would have crumbled in the face of just of few of the numerous "challenging" situations described by JMT. As it was, I could just laugh my ass off in the sanity and comfort of my own home. 

This is my second JMT book. I adore him. His writing style is easy going, informative, smart (in the ass sort of way), and absolutely hysterical. Now when someone asks me that question again...the one about having dinner with anyone living or dead...I'll be even more stressed out.

The author chronicles his odyssey in China, from the urban megalopolises of Beijing and Shanghai to the desolate wastes of the Gobi desert and the distant mountains of Tibet.

Lost on Planet China The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation, Or how He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid

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