Big in China: My Unlikely Adventure Raising a Family, Playing the Blues, and Reinventing Myself in Beijing
By Alan Paul
3.5/5
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About this ebook
"What a romp….Alan Paul walked the walk, preaching the blues in China. Anyone who doubts that music is bigger than words needs to read this great tale." —Gregg Allman
"An absolute love story. In his embrace of family, friends, music and the new culture he's discovering, Alan Paul leaves us contemplating the love in our own lives, and rethinking the concept of home." —Jeffrey Zaslow, coauthor, with Randy Pausch, of The Last Lecture
Alan Paul, award–winning author of the Wall Street Journal’s online column “The Expat Life,” gives his engaging, inspiring, and unforgettable memoir of blues and new beginnings in Beijing. Paul’s three-and-a-half-year journey reinventing himself as an American expat—while raising a family and starting the revolutionary blues band Woodie Alan, voted Beijing Band of the Year in the 2008—is a must-read adventure for anyone who has lived abroad, and for everyone who dreams of rewriting the story of their own future.
Alan Paul
ALAN PAUL is the author of the New York Times bestseller One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band, the definitive book on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, and Texas Flood: the Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan. The latter has been optioned and is being developed for both documentary and feature films. His first book, Big in China, is about his experiences raising an American family, forming a band, and becoming an unlikely rock star in Beijing. He also founded Friends of the Brothers, the premier celebration of the music of the Allman Brothers Band, featuring members of the Dickey Betts, Jaimoe and Gregg Allman bands. He is a regular guest on radio shows and a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, Guitar World, and other publications. He lives in New Jersey.
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Reviews for Big in China
19 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Well written, warm and interesting. I like reading expat memoirs which don't revolve around buying and fixing up a house. Paul is an editor at Guitar World and a freelance writer and his wife works for the WSJ. They went to Bejing on assignment. This book could almost be two books - Paul's story of becoming the musician he wanted to be or the story of living the life of a temporary expat. My husband is a musician and this is the first book which gave me an appreciation for the process of playing in a band as an amateur, the joy of collaboration and the journey to being confidant and embracing the passion inspired by music. I also liked how he examined the limbo experience of being between cultures and homes, not only for himself but for hie young children, one of who was an infant when they arrived in China. Paul provides a totally different take on living and working in a foreign country - highly recommended.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is going on my list of absolute favorite memoirs of all time. I had such a blast reading it. Alan Paul's writing is engaging, entertaining, informative and enlightening. This book is why I love reading travel memoirs. I love discovering about new cultures and seeing a different country from another person's eyes. I think what I loved best about the story is that Paul and his family are willing to adapt to their new surroundings and try out new things. They don't act like they are Americans in China and everyone must fit their way of life. Instead they want to learn and are eager to be taught.Due to being half Chinese but not having been able to visit China myself, I relish in other people's experiences. I loved seeing the country and the culture from Paul's perspective. One favorite bit was the discovery of all the different and new food they ate during their stay. It made me very hungry to keep reading about noodles. I really liked the juxtaposition of how he described the celebration meal he and the band had where they received a lot of delicious food for a very cheap price compared to the mediocre and expensive meal his wife had in a fancy western restaurant.The majority of the book talks about Paul's experiences as a stay at home dad in a foreign country and then discovering that he can use his love of music in his new surroundings. The first part of the book deals with his dad duties as he is getting used to their new way of life. Being a stay at home dad is still not that usual even in our country but in China it was almost unheard of. As the book continues, Paul finds that he wants to There are some really funny bits in the book such as one section where Paul gets a few words mistranslated and unknowingly asks some very inappropriate questions. I nearly spit out my lunch while reading that part. Most of the book deals with him discovering that he could still participate in his love of music even in a foreign country. These sections are all super interesting as well, and I think music lovers will get a kick out of these parts.I do wish a bit more had been talked about in the section about the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. I felt like we only got a taste of everything that was going on during that time period and I would have loved to have read more about that time period. I was very sad when the book ended. I felt that there were probably more stories that Paul could have told about his family's stay and other adventures that were not mentioned. Even if the book had been over 1000 pages, I would have felt that it was not enough. I really liked his style of writing and I found myself lost in the words and was sad to come up for air. Paul is also a blogger, as stated in his book, and I've found that many times bloggers write the best published books because they already know how to write to keep an audience.I truly loved reading this book and it is one that I have already been recommending to several people. If you enjoy travel, memoirs, music or learning about a new culture, this book is definitely one you need to pick up. HIGHLY recommended.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is touching and entertaining at the same time. The author really gives a good insight into the (atypical) expat life in China.