Banned in China, Dream of Ding Village is acclaimed Chinese novelist Yan Lianke s most important and controversial novel to date a passionate and steely critique of the rate at which China is developingand what happens to those who get in the way."

It started at birth when a doctor left an indentation on Alan Felyk's forehead with his forceps. Yes, Damaged Right Out Of The Box . . . It was the beginning of an ordinary life that was often blended with the improbable. The result is a sometimes hilarious, sometimes wistful personal experiences book that discusses survival despite asbestos, radioactive particles, talcum powder bombs, a butt-crack abscess, quadruple coronary bypass surgery, and women . . . not necessarily in that order of importance. Jobs such as a groundskeeper, ditch digger, road crew member, waiter, surveyor, houseboy,...