Well, I started the book today. I think that maybe the back was a little misleading when it said this book was about villages. It is really about 3 individual stories. The story that is in part 1 is about a lawyer named Ma Wenlin that sues the government of China for overtaxation on behalf of some peasants. This book postulates a lot of things and then expects you to believe the. In the prologue there is mention that China's leaders are nervous about social unrest. Well, ok, but I haven't seen any major sign of it myself. Maybe I am not reading the right newspaper. There are analogies between the current social movement in China and the social movement that brought down the Communist governments in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Mr. Johnson also states that a true market economy is not possible without political reforms. I haven't investigated this myself or thought about it philosophically. However, I wanted to get your take on it. Do you think that it is possible for China to have a true market economy without political reforms? What do you think is necessary for a market economy to exist elsewhere? How do you define a true market economy? Ok, Susannah, calm down, we aren't testing anyone. Anyway, I think that I have to determine what they mean by market economy before I make my decision. Tell me what you think. Mr. Johnson says that these 3 individual stories really represent what he feels to be the overall picture of social unrest in China today. Here is a quote about what he thinks that the book is about. "This book is an attempt to portray this untenable condition and hint at the sort of more open, fairer country that Chinese people want." He kind of makes this a broad statement so I am really hoping he proves what he is saying in the rest of the book. I can understand that people do want justice, no matter where you are. Do you think everyone wants justice?
P.S. Do you like poptarts? I really love the frosted strawberry kind and I am eating them right now! I don't like any of the other kinds though.
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