Tony Brasunas

As a child of a military parent I am not a stranger to adventuring into the unknown. I have a great love for the ‘road less traveled’ and a great respect for neighboring cultures. Throughout my lifetime my entire family has held a strong bond with Asia; whether it be my father’s knowledge of the Far East, my Japanese aunt, or my Cambodian sister-in-law. I enjoy the traditional stories of these countries, but have never really taken a second look at China. This book is an interesting recollection of one man’s experience in China as an English speaking teacher. It is a story that describes the daily lives of the average citizens in China and how their perception of America is misconstrued by mass media and propaganda. Chapter after chapter describes the author’s frustrations with adjusting to the lack of daily comforts that he has been accustomed to in The United States. The classroom experience is described as well as the lack of basic communication between teacher and student. Although there are countless difficulties in the author’s journey he continues to work through his issues and pursue a positive ending. He is a man that believes in the good of humanity and that most people can be reached with a little genuine effort.

I truly enjoyed this book and found it very educational. It was interesting to see how the average Chinese citizen lived their life with very little, but still managed to feel fulfilled. It made me realize how blessed those of us are that live in this country. At the same time I read how brain washed the people of China are and felt sad for them. The children of China have no hope with their current communistic system and will never get a chance to thrive if their society persists. There were times in the book that I found it difficult to read due to the lack of education of the children and the gross prejudices they held toward the non-Chinese. I believe that this book would be useful in a high school setting for a report as a learning tool. I also feel it is just a good read in general. I must admit that I was given this book in a give away, but I am grateful that I was and I appreciate the opportunity in reading it. Thank you author and your story was fascinating.… (mais)

Full review here: http://thesteadfastreader.blogspot.com/2014/01/finding-yourself-friday-double-ha...

Since I love to travel and have long had a fascination with China I jumped at the chance to read Double Happiness. I'm glad that I did. This is a memoir and a travelogue but it's also more than that. Honestly, it reads more like a novel than it does a memoir, which is good. There is plenty of action and crazy things happening, but underneath it all is a sense of peace and understanding.… (mais)