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Letter from China by Peter James Froning
Non-Fiction
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Safe for family listening
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This is a poignant and irreverent diary of the author's yearlong (2001-2) experience of teaching English to college students in Beijing, People's Republic of China. From the very first pages, the author draws you into his struggle with a culture worlds away from his comfort zone. The author's generous and compelling personality allowed him to gain access to the lives of his students and their families, who became characters in his tale. One can experience the author's wit and humanity throughout the narrative.
The author's humorous view of China is especially timely and dovetails with the current explosion of interest in that country as it enters the modern world. The book is neither a travelogue nor a look at the government, although elements of those subjects are woven into the story. Instead, it is an engaging look at China, tailored toward those who know little about it. Still, those who have lived and/or traveled there will also enjoy the book as it reminds them of the absurdities they, too, experienced.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives 3.0 United States License.
Audio Quality: 
Out of 21 ratings
Narration Quality:
Out of 21 ratings
Writing Quality:
Out of 21 ratings
Overall Rating:
Out of 21 ratings
By: Mary Froning
Thank you for your comment, Thomas. As Peter's sister, the family appreciates these comments.By: Thomas in Korea
Having lived the last 7 years in South Korea as a teacher and business owner, I immediately connected with the author. I intend to pass this book around to my friends in the hope it will mitigate their culture shock. The ending brought me to tears.By: Keith McNally
I'm from a small city in Canada, and I listened to this book while living in New York City. The book was fantastic, and hearing descriptions of China made New York seem much less overwhelming. I was going to send Peter a letter letting him know how much his book helped me, and when I found out he had passed away I was very shocked. I ended up crying a lot. Zai jian Peter, and thank you.
Chapters
| Title | Description | Date Created |
| Installment 1 (32.74 MB) | Prologue and Weeks 1-4. The Journey Begins | Jul 28, 2008 |
| Installment 2 (31.54 MB) | Weeks 5-6. Peter throws away the textbook and begins to be a real teacher. | Jul 28, 2008 |
| Installment 3 (23.28 MB) | Weeks 10-13. From teaching the Bible in an hour and a half to the 503 Bus. | Jul 28, 2008 |
| Installment 4 (26.43 MB) | Weeks 14-18. Unexpectedly (for his students), Peter returns to Beijing from his US Christmas vacation. | Jul 28, 2008 |
| Installment 5 (31.25 MB) | Weeks 19-23. Peter teaches his students about April Fool's Day, tries to find tomato seeds, and discovers Italian food in China. | Jul 28, 2008 |
| Installment 6 (30.53 MB) | Weeks 24-27. The students find out Peter is writing a book. Peter's American friend, Martha, comes to visit and promptly has her backpack stolen. | Jul 28, 2008 |
| Installment 7 (30.08 MB) | Weeks 28-31. Peter attempts to describe authentic Chinese food and goes traveling with Wang Lu. | Jul 28, 2008 |
| Installment 8 (25.7 MB) | Weeks 32-35. The Central Michigan Chippewas come to visit. | Jul 28, 2008 |
| Installment 9 (31.34 MB) | Weeks 36-39. Peter finally gets a key to his classroom and teaches his students how to root for the home team. | Jul 28, 2008 |
| Installment 10 (41.9 MB) | Weeks 40-44, Epilogue. A shocking end to the tale. | Jul 28, 2008 |
| Installment 11 (35.68 MB) | Letters from Peter's Students. The students react to tragic news. | Jul 28, 2008 |