[...] this is far from Guy Delisle’s first travelogue. Previously, he’s shown us life in Shenzhen (China) and Pyongyang (North Korea). Those are countries we think we understand the bad things about, and [...]

I liked Pyongyang, but that had a lot to do with how North Korea is more or less a kind of sealed kingdom from the world. Just basic observations were interesting in that context. On the other hand there are a lot of great fisthand diaries of being in China right now (anywhere in China, really), so the the same light approach felt slight. But then, he went for work, and business trips, even to foreign exotic locales feel different.

I don’t remember the whole thing that well, as its been a while, but the little preview remind me that he said he remembered the good parts and the exotic bits from an earlier visit. It’s a different thing to glimpse people’s actual working lives than being a tourist, I think.

[...] enjoyed Guy Delisle’s Shenzhen, so I was eager to try his earlier Pyongyang, in which he journeys to North Korea. I’m glad I [...]

“Delisle tells of his experiences on a similar job in North Korea in Pyongyang.”

He also wrote The Burma Chronicles. I haven’t read it yet myself, but he didn’t have a similar job there (his wife is an aid worker for Medecins Sans Frontières and he went along to take care of the baby).

[...] absolutely adored Guy Delisle’s travelogue Pyongyang.  He’s returned with another book, this one about his experience in China. [...]