JasonKoivu

I thought it would be handy to know about China for when the Chinese take over the world and the rest of us must all bow to them. I might learn Mandarin, too. I figure that way I’d stand a better chance of getting a job as an eunuch. Also, my brother is over there now teaching kids how to speak English and I figure I might go visit him someday soon, so it would be nice to know a few things about the place.

From Yao to Mao is a tough one to rate. On the one hand, for a beginner just learning about Chinese history, you can’t ask for much more. The information was presented in a logical timeline. Certainly in a single, 18-hour course, one can only hope to obtain a mere summation of a 5000 year period. However, the major milestones were touched upon and explained satisfactorily. I would’ve liked more of a foray into the thinkers and artists of which China’s past overflows, but those are subjects for another lecture and information I’ll definitely be pursuing elsewhere.

On the other hand, the professor teaching this course was a terrible speaker. Harvard-educated, Dr. Kenneth J. Hammond, Professor of History at New Mexico State University (and interestingly one of the “Kent 25” from the Kent State shootings of 1970), may have his shit down when it comes to Chinese history, but he was not the best choice speaking-wise. His delivery was low-key. He often strained to back-up a point he just made perfectly well by saying it again but differently, which would throw him into a stalling-tactic stutter (“…uh, uh, uh…”) until the words came to him. And then there were the occasional sighs. As I write this review I’m currently reading a book on storytelling and so I know that this sighing may not be a sign of boredom, but rather a speaking technique to relax his vocal cords. Even if it is, it made him sound bored and that does not help long lectures.

All in all, this was well worth my time. There was a lot of information to absorb and I’m sure I’ve already forgotten most of it, but it’s a great starting point!


Footnoted! This is not a book. It is a recording by The Teaching Company of a professor teaching a lesson. I include it in my reviews because Goodreads has it listed…Why does Goodreads have it listed?