Shanghai

Life and Death in Shanghai
$16.00
It is quite a long book and full of amazing detail about her ordeal in prison. I read it before I visited China and found it very helpful in understanding the current lifestyle there. China still has reminders of the Red Army so it was nice to know a little bit about the history from a person who had lived through it. It also gave great insight into how humans get politically charged up and act upon their beliefs regardless of truth or justification. I gave it 4 stars only because it was sooooo long. Great book. We read it for book club.

Shanghai Noon / Shanghai Knights
$14.99
I like action movies with some humor and these fit the bill. I'm not into martial arts for itself and had bought Shanghai Noon on VHS mainly because Owen Wilson was in it and I like his comedy. The combination of him with Chan is, at least in these two movies, irresistible. I don't know about anyone else, but these are great movies for me.

Time Out Shanghai (Time Out Guides)
$19.95
This book has some interesting information about Shanghai, but is not a useful travel book.

There is zero information about dangers and common scams. I am an experienced world traveler, but was stung by a scam in Nanjing Road area. I searched the web and found plenty of information after the fact. This is why I buy travel books first - I expect some practical information. This book specifically says that crime is not a concern.

There is no real guidance as to what someone should see given limited time. This is an enormous city and everything is new. I found the Oriental Pearl Tower a good starting point to take in the scope of the city. I also learned to avoid the subway trains during rush hour - they are insanely crowded - beyond most Westerners' comfort level - this is information that is not in the book.

I can't say that any other books are better since I only read this one.

Shanghai Ghetto
$19.95
The most touching words come in the end, which really bring me into thinking. The documentary is good, the only regret is that it doesn't talk much about the local people as I expected before watching this movie. I am a 1986 born local Shanghainese.