Ji Feng: The Wind That Brings These Rains

“Ji Feng: The Wind That Brings These Rains” a non-fiction account of one American G.I’s thoughts and experiences in China. Written after meeting, becoming engaged to, and marrying a Chinese widow, Chuck Dean's short novel reflects on his attitudes after surviving the Vietnam War and how his visits to China helped him heal. He further explores some of the similarities and differences between the American and Chinese people that focuses on general life attitudes and beliefs, not just the politics of both countries.

An intriguing read, “Ji Feng: The Wind That Brings These Rains” will give the reader a completely new insight into China and her people. As most discussions of China tend to focus on communism or its government, this novel is significant in that it looks instead at the general lives of the Chinese people. The author includes interesting commentary on how China and America compare, along with his own opinions, without coming off as anything but open minded and providing information to those who might be of a like mind.  The only downside to this book is that many of the accounts bounce back and forth in the author’s timeline which can be a bit confusing, and causes some minor repetition. 

However, this is truly a good read, especially for those who typically only read fiction.

Sarah E. Bradley