Big in China

Reviews / Votes

"An absolute love story. In his embrace of family, friends, music and the new culture he's discovering, Alan Paul leaves us contemplating the love in our own lives, and rethinking the concept of home." -- -Jeffrey Zaslow, coauthor, The Last Lecture "Alan Paul plunges into Chinese life and takes us along for the ride... He conveys the thrills and challenges of living abroad, the confusions and regrets, and most of all the opportunity to become the person we always hoped to be." -- -Peter Hessler, author of Country Driving and River Town "What a romp. After writing about music for years, Alan Paul walked the walk, preaching the blues in China. Anyone who doubts that music is bigger than words needs to read this great tale." -- -Gregg Allman, the Allman Brothers Band "Generations of adventurers have daydreamed of seeing their names up in lights in the world's biggest country. But Alan Paul-musician, writer, and stay-at-home father of three-actually achieved it through sheer will and talent." -- -Evan Osnos, China Correspondent, The New Yorker This readable, human account of his China experience shows how one can be richly rewarded in a supposedly 'hard posting' when armed with an open, adventurous mind and the Chinese people's 'go-get-it' spirit." -- -Lijia Zhang, author of Socialism Is Great "Alan Paul's evolution from expat-village 'trailing spouse' to star of the Chinese music scene stands for countless similar developments underway in China. I hope many people read this book -- and consider a similar adventure themselves." -- -James Fallows, author of Postcards from Tomorrow Square "Reads like an epic adventure, with music at its heart and the unity of people as its goal." -- -Rick Telander, author Heaven Is a Playground "A charming exploration of an expat's unlikely rise to fame, as well as the lessons learned along the way." -- -Kirkus Reviews "An inspirational, eloquent travelogue that that that flows like a soul-baring letter to friends as it carries readers along on a personal journey of discovery in a land that is rediscovering itself." -- -James McGregor, author, One Billion Customers "It's hard to imagine a better American musical ambassador than Alan Paul... With the help of great local musicians, he bridged cultures with notes. It's an amazing story." -- -Warren Haynes, the Allman Brothers Band