In 'Other Rivers,' Peter Hessler chronicles his return to Chinese classrooms

episode

NPR's Book of the Day not yet transcribed

▲ 0

Transcript

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet Upvotes decide what gets transcribed next — 0 so far. Sign in to upvote

More from NPR's Book of the Day

Emily St. John Mandel's 'Exit Party' opens in the wake of a second American Civil War 10 min · 23 Sep 2026

'Grit' author Angela Duckworth on how changing your situation can lead to success 12 min · 22 Sep 2026

'Conclave' author Robert Harris is out with a fictional Roman Empire memoir 10 min · 21 Sep 2026

In new memoir, Colin Kaepernick reflects on his historic national anthem protest 26 min · 18 Sep 2026

'Seasons of Fury' traces the roots of Islamophobia in the United States 10 min · 17 Sep 2026

Katherine Rundell says it's a mistake for adults to discard children's literature 13 min · 16 Sep 2026

All episodes from NPR's Book of the Day →

Report any issue

Source

Recorded11 Jul 2024

Publisherfeeds.npr.org ↗

Handlerec:4581970

Show notes

Foreign correspondent Peter Hessler taught in China during the country's economic boom in the 1990s, which he wrote about in his book River Town. Now, in Other Rivers, Hessler breaks down what it was like to teach there again more than two decades later. In today's episode, he and NPR international correspondent Emily Feng talk about what changed — and what stayed the same — with a new generation of students in China and how covering the country remains a challenge for so many writers and journalists. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Sign in