About the Author

Deborah Fallows has lived in Shanghai and travelled throughout China with her husband, the writer James Fallows. She is a Harvard graduate and has a PHD in linguistics. When in the US she and her husband live in Washington DC.

Reviews

Dreaming in Chinese is chatty and colloquial, with helpful photographs and drawings, as well as a pronunciation guide. The eager student will learn a fair bit about the history of the language and how its array of characters and tones were systematized, all the while gathering insights into the country's customs and culture. Rather than draw sweeping conclusions Fallows sticks to her own experiences and observations, which makes her book all the more valuable. China hands will have many moments of recognition. For others, Dreaming in Chinese will be a fascinating introduction to a foreign culture.
*New York Times Book Review*

You don't have to know Mandarin to be captivated by Deborah Fallows's Dreaming in Chinese - Forget Berlitz - that just teaches words. Deborah Fallows shows us that the cultural implications of those words teach us about each other.
*O: The Oprah Magazine*

Fallows has a good ear for aspect, the way of stressing certain words and syllables to change or add layers of meaning to a simple word or phrase. She veers to the gentle, seeing the generosity behind brusque gestures, the intimacy and friendship behind rudeness and the priorities that language reveals. Playfulness, respect, affection and the virtues of solidarity with the common people - a different traveler might miss all these but not Fallows.
*Los Angeles Times*

While it isn't necessary to know the language of a foreign country when you live abroad, studying that language can infinitely ease and illuminate your entree there. Deborah Fallows underscores this lesson again and again in this compelling account of her own trials and triumphs with studying Mandarin while residing in Shanghai and Beijing. A linguist by training, Fallows shows how even small advancements such as mastering a single word or phrase can unlock grammatical and cultural secrets - Over the course of her three-year immersion, her ever-deepening insights immeasurably enrich her engagement with China - and ours as well."
*National Geographic Traveler*

Reading Dreaming in Chinese, we follow an intelligent, analytical, sympathetic -- and humorous -- guide who knows it's the journey, not the destination, that counts.
*Star Tribune (Minneapolis)*

For anyone with a connection to China (and particularly for anyone who has attempted Mandarin) her book is a gift: it's all the thoughts that escaped you in your travels and studies. It's as revealing of the way a Western, English-speaking mindset perceives China as it is of what makes a billion people tick." For readers hoping to truly journey in China (rather than just plant your feet firmly on the Great Wall), Dreaming in Chinese is mandatory reading."
*Double X*

Thinking of learning Mandarin? Read this - For beginners, Dreaming in Chinese is an easy entry into an ancient land.
*McClatchy Newspapers*

Fallows manages to take the relatively dry subject of translation and create a warm and witty memoir - [taking] readers on a ride through Chinese culture that is as entertaining as it is informative.
*Booklist*

Any traveler who shudders at the prospect of deciphering Chinese should be armed with a copy of this book.

China seems an impossible mountain to climb, yet Deborah Fallows takes a less traveled path, climbing the mountain from the inside. She recounts her journey with a perfect balance of wise observation and wit. To follow her climb yields startling insights about the Chinese people and culture, the kind of insights lugubrious China essays rarely yield. Dreaming in Chinese is both vital and a joy to read.

Dreaming in Chinese is a little gem, sparkling with wonderful tales about China, its language and its people.

In Dreaming in Chinese, Deborah Fallows opens up a window onto Chinese urban life through its notoriously difficult language. A charming and insightful book.

While all too many books on China try to make sense of this infinitely provocative country from the top down, Deborah Fallows looks at it from the bottom up, trying to figure out what makes the place work through personal encounters, the language and everyday occurrences. She has written a refreshing and insightful book.

Dreaming in Chinese is original, entertaining, gracefully written and provides important insights into life and culture in contemporary China. Deborah Fallows is a gifted linguist who helps her readers understand the complexities of the Chinese language. But she does much more. She is an astute observer and through simple yet compelling anecdotes she helps her readers experience everyday life in China. This is a terrific book for anyone who wants to improve their understanding of this extraordinary country. y

Deborah Fallows' sparkling memoir of her three years in China makes us feel we are on the streets with her in Shanghai and Beijing - haggling with merchants and cops and learning to be rude and friendly, Chinese-style. The joy of this book is its sense of humor and adventure: Deborah decided to live outside the expatriate ghetto: learning the language, drinking the water, living the real Chinese life like a laobaixing (ordinary person).Whether it's learning not to say 'please,' or understanding why Chinese hate the number '4' or ordering take-away at a Chinese Taco Bell, Deb jumps in head-first and makes us laugh at her often comical embrace of this culture. I can't think of a better book for someone who wants to understand the lovable, infuriating and hilarious country that is China.