Eating Bitterness (Electronic book text)

Every year over 200 million peasants flock to Chinas urban centers, providing a profusion of cheap labor that helps fuel the countrys staggering economic growth. Award-winning journalist Michelle Dammon Loyalka follows the trials and triumphs of eight such migrantsincluding a vegetable vendor, an itinerant knife sharpener, a free-spirited recycler, and a cash-strapped motheroffering an inside look at the pain, self-sacrifice, and uncertainty underlying Chinas dramatic national transformation. At the heart of the book lies each persons ability to eat bitternessa term that roughly means to endure hardships, overcome difficulties, and forge ahead. These stories illustrate why China continues to advance, even as the rest of the world remains embroiled in financial turmoil. At the same time, "Eating Bitterness" demonstrates how dealing with the issues facing this class of people constitutes Chinas most pressing domestic challenge.