Age of ambition

Politics and government

Print length: 416 pagesPenguin Random House, 2015

Description

Between 2005 and 2013, journalist Evan Osnos encountered people across China whose lives were being reshaped by rapid economic, political, and social change. Drawing on his reporting and interviews, he follows their personal journeys and considers the political significance of their aspirations. His subjects range from prominent figures such as artist Ai Weiwei to ordinary workers and a jailed auctioneer. Together, these stories explore an emerging desire to remake one’s life through individual ambition, presenting contemporary China through the experiences of people pursuing change within a society undergoing a profound transformation.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Descriptive · Essayistic · Journalistic

Pace

Moderate

Tone

Cerebral · Earnest · Reflective

Structure

Braided · Episodic

Focus

Character · Ideas · Information

Emotional intensity

3 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 3 / 5
Ideas: 4 / 5
Structure: 3 / 5
Background knowledge: 2 / 5

Themes

AmbitionFreedomIdentityPolitics and ideologyPowerTransformation

About Evan Osnos

Evan Osnos is an American journalist and author whose reporting examines how large political and economic changes enter private lives. A New Yorker staff writer, he has covered politics and foreign affairs in the United States and China, and later the culture and influence of extreme wealth. His books build arguments through interviews, observed detail, and sharply chosen individual cases. Age of Ambition follows figures ranging from Ai Weiwei to workers and a jailed auctioneer, using their efforts to remake their lives to chart China’s rapid transformation. In The Haves and Have-Yachts, wry reported essays move from superyachts and private indulgence to political access, environmental cost, and the ability of great fortunes to place private priorities above public obligations.

The Haves and Have-Yachts Apple Books

Book details

For the print edition listed above.

Publisher: Penguin Random House
Language: English
ISBN: 9780099589976

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