Review: Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Langauge

Deborah Fallows book Dreaming in Chinese is a cleverly presented exploration of Chinese culture, as seen through her eyes as an expatriate living in China.  Her book is presented through the lens of a learner of Mandarin and Chinese culture, and is a record of the cultural insights she gains as she explores new facets of life in China.
     The book is well-organized, with each chapter beginning with a Chinese character and word.  This word serves as the launching point for the facet of language and culture she explores in that chapter.  Her chosen topics focus on aspects of everyday life, such as conventions of politeness, names, giving directions, and rule-following.  Other chapters focus more directly on the conventions of language, such as tone, dialect, and pronoun use, but then explore the way in which language has made its imprint on culture.  Much of the book is an exploration of the relationship between language and culture; however, it is neither dry nor theoretical.  Language and culture connections are explored through well told stories of the author's daily interactions while in China.
     Dreaming in Chinese is an excellent book for anyone interested in learning more about Chinese language and culture.  The book also captures much of the shared experience of anyone seeking to become a part of a new culture by learning its language, and resonates well with those on the culture learning journey.

Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language