The Problem with Me: And Other Essays About Making Trouble in China Today

Funny and controversial, Han (This Generation) became renowned in China as a blogger who walked the line of acceptable political satire. The book is comprised of several translated essays on his life and other musings. Unfortunately, in this collection Han's famous wit is lost in translation, particularly with certain Chinese sayings. At other times, however, his personality does shine through. For example, when writing about school, he says that the "dorm has all kinds of rules. I measured myself against them and discovered that, apart from possession of banned weapons, I'd violated all the rest." While he's known in China for challenging the status quo, few non-Chinese speakers will be familiar with Han, though individual essays, on issues such as education, racing, literature, travel, online media, and fatherhood, will find appeal among general readers.