Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China

Age of Ambition is a book I could not put down. Evan Osnos does a stellar job weaving together different narratives and stories throughout his years in China. He ties these narratives in the context of larger themes, conflicts, and interests. And the best part: all these larger-than-life stories are completely true. Osnos shares stories he had with some of the most extraordinary individuals in China. He shares stories from a wide range of people. Many may hold different political beliefs or are regular people trying to get by. The years Osnos spent in China paid off in storytelling as well. We get to become acquainted with individuals in the book and see how they change through the years. We see different beliefs get changed while some stay steadfast. Almost all expand to new adventures that leave the audience at a cliffhanger. Osnos ties this modern age of China to America's Gilded Age. Though not a direct 1:1 comparison, we do see many parallels. We also see the ways China's Communist Party tries to wrangle control from the complex task of managing such a massive country. There are many contradictions between what the Party wants and what it does. Such is inevitable when people demand more freedoms now that their basic needs are met. Such is inevitable as the tools of censorship and evading such censorship move fluidly. We see the interactions of the government and people play out in the stories told. Though this book is a bit outdated at circa ~2013 when this book was published. Such a complex task of writing a modern story. But what's great with writing nonfiction is that anyone can look up where many of these people are in life now. It's not an easy task to write about a country of more than a billion people. Osnos breaks down the enigma of China into individual stories and weaves it into larger narrative themes: Fortune, Truth, Faith. As China progresses, one can wonder how the interactions and intersection of people may move the country in the future. But I digress. 5/5. Favorited. Must read for those interested in the topic.