These snapshots of bygone days gathered in Pieces of China very much resonate in the present. Told in a deceptively breezy voice by Peter Lighte - unlikely Ming scholar and unlikelier banker - his stories illuminate shadows of the Cultural Revolution, the hilarity of bureaucracy, the complexity of relationships and the daily adventures of a young man who thinks he somehow fits into a world beyond the looking glass.
All profits from Pieces of China will be donated to Half the Sky, a foundation which seeks to bring a caring adult into the life of each orphan in China - www.halfthesky.org.