Wolf Totem
2004 • 527 pages
Ratings2
Average rating4
15
Ratings2
Average rating4
Chen Zhen volunteers to live in a remote settlement on the border of Inner and Outer Mongolia. There, he discovers life of apparent idyllic simplicity based on an eternal struggle between the wolves and the humans in their fight to survive. Chen learns about the spiritual relationship which exists between these adversaries.
Reviews with the most likes.
I have kind of conflicted feelings about this book. On one hand, it's super didactic, full of sweeping over-generalizations (especially re: Han Chinese vs. grassland Mongols), and depressing. On the other hand, it's about wolves and promotes ecological consciousness. I am a sucker for narratives about wolves. Plus, the Chinese environment is kind of a pet topic of interest for me. Otherwise I probably would have abandoned reading this book.
