Age of Ambition

Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China

By: Evan Osnos

Narrated by: Evan Osnos, George Backman

National Book Award Winner, Nonfiction, 2014

A vibrant, colorful, and revelatory inner history of China during a moment of profound transformation.

From abroad, we often see China as a caricature: a nation of pragmatic plutocrats and ruthlessly dedicated students destined to rule the global economy - or an addled Goliath, riddled with corruption and on the edge of stagnation. What we don’t see is how both powerful and ordinary people are remaking their lives as their country dramatically changes.

As the Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker, Evan Osnos was on the ground in China for years, witness to profound political, economic, and cultural upheaval. In Age of Ambition, he describes the greatest collision taking place in that country: the clash between the rise of the individual and the Communist Party’s struggle to retain control. He asks probing questions: Why does a government with more success lifting people from poverty than any civilization in history choose to put strict restraints on freedom of expression? Why do millions of young Chinese professionals - fluent in English and devoted to Western pop culture - consider themselves "angry youth", dedicated to resisting the West's influence? How are Chinese from all strata finding meaning after two decades of the relentless pursuit of wealth?

Writing with great narrative verve and a keen sense of irony, Osnos follows the moving stories of everyday people and reveals life in the new China to be a battleground between aspiration and authoritarianism, in which only one can prevail.

©2014 Evan Osnos (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"Evan Osnos, Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker (2005-2010) has written an outstanding book covering the political, economic, and cultural aspects of China. Narrating his own work is a wonderful addition as his command of Mandarin and in-depth knowledge of the country are apparent. Observations and interviews are crisp and timely whether the subject is a billionaire online matchmaker or the dissident Ai Wei Wei, who has many critical and pithy comments. Osnos's apt delivery of humor - both his own and Chinese - adds authenticity and fun. Most revealing are his observations during a European tour with a Chinese group. (He was the only non-Chinese person.) Osnos excels at getting people to open up; he then adds luster with his spirited delivery of their thoughts." (AudioFile)

Must read for anyone curious about modern China

A series of small tales that give a surprisingly amount of depth on the tale that is the evolution of modern China

Anecdotes as foundation

Osnos approaches an understanding of a tidal wave by sampling several teaspoons of seawater. As a way to get a grasp on one of the largest, fastest changes in society he uses a few choice examples. If you stick with him you will value his experience and observations. There will be an earlier point where you think it all too facile to be illuminating. The epilogue is from 2013, and it would really be great to get an update.

comprehensive reporting of diverse Chinese nation

a comprehensive explanation of life in China from various Chinese perspectives. excellent current events reporting contrasted and put in content with the nation's history

Quite bad actually

Title is my first reaction. Why?

- not much of a coherent story
- not much relevance to look at a few unique personas
- boring read: every persona will be arrested or get into trouble one way or another. There’s like 10-20 personas in the book. Not a very thrilling read obviously, in fact, rather dreadful.

Great read of a contemporary story

The essence of everyday life in China, the good, hard, foreign and common. Everything with a balanced approach from the inside out

Enlightening and Interesting

What made the experience of listening to Age of Ambition the most enjoyable?

I thought this might be a dry journalistic book but I downloaded it anyway because I have several friends working in China or with Chinese companies and I wanted to find out more. As it turns out, the book answered all the unasked questions I had and then some. The information presented about China comes through stories of real people leading real lives. After reading it, I feel an actual connection with the Chinese people in general, am able to understand where they are coming from better, and feel more compassionate toward them. The story stayed interesting and introduced the reader to several key public figures in recent Chinese history but in such a way as to make them feel knowable on a down-to-earth level. The author presented just enough of his own personal life in China as well. I'd recommend this for anyone wanting to learn more about China, its place in the world and the overall relationship of Chinese people to Westerners.

Some interesting things...but too long

I suppose the author wanted the reader to take the journey with him as he uncovered all the anecdotal micro trends happening in China. But he rarely stepped back to make and judgements or summarize doe the reader, and he didn't present it in a very organized manner. In this regard, the author can't be accused of being biased or stating opinion over fact, that I like the approach he gives to allow the reader to make the judgement call. Unfortunately it takes so long to get through an entire idea that I drifted off so many times that I can't remember what I think.

Loved it

There is so much here. I wonder how I missed out on so many monumental events. The unfolding of so many critical moments that have and will define the humanity of a Nation and a People. The ideological tsunami. An intellectual, cultural, artistic, economic, sociological investigation told through the real life stories of people who experieced, made and still continue to make history. Not to be ignored.

Narrator Bait and Switch Ruined It

The introduction is narrated by the author, and he does a fantastic job.

The rest of the book is performed by a different narrator- one with the perfect voice for a grandfatherly bedtime story but who was a terrible choice for a first person account of contemporary geopolitics.

Audible wouldn’t let me return the title and deleted the book after the first chapter.

I recommend reading it in person. Don’t bother with the audio version.

Great overview of China currently

Did not know a bunch of this info. Knew of corruption but not to this level with specific examples. Their attempts to control internet is really slipping away. The governments silly texts to journalists to remove or avoid certain words or phrases will never work. Colorful characters revealed and had interesting backgrounds