Big in China: My Unlikely Adventures Raising a Family, Playing the Blues, and Becoming a Star in Bejing
Published by HarperAudio
5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
The inspiring story of a man, a family, a band, a foreign country, and a new beginning.
When Alan Paul's wife was offered the job as the Wall Street Journal's China bureau chief, he saw it as an amazing opportunity to shake up their increasingly staid suburban New Jersey life. Excited and not a little scared, they packed up their three children, ages two, four, and seven, and headed for adventure and uncertainty in Beijing, China.
Based on his award-winning Wall Street Journal Online column, "The Expat Life", Big in China explores Paul's unlikely three-and-a-half-year journey of reinvention in this rapidly developing metropolis. He reveals the challenges that he and his family faced while living in a foreign land, including reaching beyond the expat community, coming to terms with his new role as a stay-at-home dad, and learning to navigate and thrive in an unfamiliar culture. By viewing an intimidating challenge as a golden opportunity rather than as a burden, he saw his world open up around him.
At the heart of the memoir is his time fronting Woodie Alan, a blues band he formed with a Chinese partner. The cross-cultural collaboration became an unlikely success. The band embarked on a tour across China, earning the title "Best Band in Beijing" and recording an acclaimed CD of original music sung in both English and Mandarin, which prompted ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons to say, "This is the best Chinese blues band I ever heard. Who knew?" Woodie Alan was symbolic of Paul's entire China experience – and proof of what transpires when one can suspend preconceived notions and plunge into a new reality.
A testament to the transformative power of a life lived beyond comfortable borders, Big in China reminds us of the importance of always keeping our horizons wide and our thoughts ambitious.
A HarperAudio production.
Related to Big in China
Related audiobooks
On the Shoulders of Giants, Vol 1: How Harlem Became the Center of the Universe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Janis: Her Life and Music Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Scott Joplin: The Life and Legacy of the King of Ragtime Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Youth: Crane, Carrington, Gershwin, and the Nature of First Acts Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Dark Luminosity: Memoirs of a Geezer, the expanded edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerica, the Band: An Authorized Biography Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBelieber!: Fame, Faith, and the Heart of Justin Bieber Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chronicles: Volume One Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The True Story of the Jersey Boys: The Story Behind Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGeorge Bernard Shaw: A Very Short Introduction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Market Street Tapes: The Best of Ki Longfellow Stanshall Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Legendary Toad's Place: Stories from New Haven's Famed Music Venue Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Autobiography Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Black Heart Fades Blue: Volume Three Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Shoulders of Giants, Vol 4: Jazz Lights Up Harlem Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rockin' in the Ivory Tower: Rock Music on Campus in the Sixties Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRobert Plant: A Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Change of Seasons: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Country Music: A Very Short Introduction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Downhome Sound: Diversity and Politics in Americana Music Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNight Train to Nashville: The Greatest Untold Story of Music City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Man Who Carried Cash: Saul Holiff, Johnny Cash, and the Making of an American Icon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Liner Notes: On Parents & Children, Exes & Excess, Death & Decay, & a Few of My Other Favorite Things Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHearts on Fire: Six Years that Changed Canadian Music 2000-2005 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRuffhouse: From the Streets of Philly to the Top of the '90s Hip-Hop Charts Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5JAY-Z: Made in America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On the Shoulders of Giants, Vol 2: Master Intellects and Creative Giants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Brother's Eyes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Personal Memoirs For You
I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sociopath: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Counting the Cost Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Woman in Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Night: New translation by Marion Wiesel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Finding Me: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: My Year of Psychedelics: Lessons on Better Living Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: Built for This: The Quiet Strength of Powerlifting Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5See You on the Way Down: Catch You on the Way Back Up! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Making It So: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Year of Magical Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glass Castle: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dad on Pills: Fatherhood and Mental Illness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shelter: A Love Letter to Trees Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5While Time Remains: A North Korean Girl's Search for Freedom in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wishful Drinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pageboy: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yes Please Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Big in China
3 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.