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I Stand Corrected: How Teaching Western Manners in China Became Its Own Unforgettable Lesson Hardcover – Deckle Edge, October 7, 2014
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"It's a heck of a story ... entertaining, informative and insightful." —The New York Times
"Collinsworth is subtly generous with some details and tantalizingly private with others, but it’s all wonderful. She also analyzes what’s going on in China now, financially and socially, how it came about, and what might be the consequences. A traveler of the world, often with her multilingual son, Collinsworth waxes intelligently and humorously about other cultures... A rare, true gift." —Booklist, starred review
"Collinsworth's observations bring the Chinese and their rituals and history to life... Entertaining, informative adventures of a woman determined to understand the people of China." —Kirkus Reviews
"An entertaining take on life as a foreigner in China." —Publishers Weekly
"I Stand Corrected is both hilarious and insightful. Collinsworth’s adventures in China make for a compulsive page-turner, full of eye-popping anecdotes. This is a must read for anyone seeking an insider’s view into the rising power of the East." —Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire: Britain’s Crucial Role in the American Civil War and Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire
"I Stand Corrected has many interesting, even important, things to say about commerce and manners in China, but the book's real pleasure is Eden Collinsworth's company. Her mind is lucid and original, and she's very funny." —Alec Wilkinson, author of The Ice Balloon
"Eden Collinsworth’s I Stand Corrected is truly an original: enlightening, enthralling, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Her revealing and profoundly interesting insight into Chinese culture must be the first of its kind. With great beauty, subtlety, and grace she touches on the deeply personal amid all her heady, whirlwind adventures, shedding light on universal truths common to any mother, any traveler. I envy Collinsworth’s life of exploration, her fearlessness, and couldn’t be more pleased to have her carry me along for the ride." —Blythe Danner
"When China—a sleeping dragon—woke some thirty years ago, most Westerners listened to its sounds from afar. There are very few like Eden Collinsworth who have actually known China, who have seen its transformation firsthand. With her wonderful book I Stand Corrected, she uses her knowledge and experience to build a bridge for readers to cross the river between cultures." —Xinran, author of China Witness, Sky Burial, and The Good Women of China
"Eden Collinsworth's adventures on her way to writing a best-selling manual of Western deportment for the Chinese are enchanting. Memoir, travel book, social history, it's also about single motherhood, love, career building, and looking for happiness. I Stand Corrected is an original, fearless, and funny book that you read for its laughs as well as its lessons." —Joan Juliet Buck
"Collinsworth is subtly generous with some details and tantalizingly private with others, but it’s all wonderful. She also analyzes what’s going on in China now, financially and socially, how it came about, and what might be the consequences. A traveler of the world, often with her multilingual son, Collinsworth waxes intelligently and humorously about other cultures... A rare, true gift." —Booklist, starred review
"Collinsworth's observations bring the Chinese and their rituals and history to life... Entertaining, informative adventures of a woman determined to understand the people of China." —Kirkus Reviews
"An entertaining take on life as a foreigner in China." —Publishers Weekly
"I Stand Corrected is both hilarious and insightful. Collinsworth’s adventures in China make for a compulsive page-turner, full of eye-popping anecdotes. This is a must read for anyone seeking an insider’s view into the rising power of the East." —Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire: Britain’s Crucial Role in the American Civil War and Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire
"I Stand Corrected has many interesting, even important, things to say about commerce and manners in China, but the book's real pleasure is Eden Collinsworth's company. Her mind is lucid and original, and she's very funny." —Alec Wilkinson, author of The Ice Balloon
"Eden Collinsworth’s I Stand Corrected is truly an original: enlightening, enthralling, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Her revealing and profoundly interesting insight into Chinese culture must be the first of its kind. With great beauty, subtlety, and grace she touches on the deeply personal amid all her heady, whirlwind adventures, shedding light on universal truths common to any mother, any traveler. I envy Collinsworth’s life of exploration, her fearlessness, and couldn’t be more pleased to have her carry me along for the ride." —Blythe Danner
"When China—a sleeping dragon—woke some thirty years ago, most Westerners listened to its sounds from afar. There are very few like Eden Collinsworth who have actually known China, who have seen its transformation firsthand. With her wonderful book I Stand Corrected, she uses her knowledge and experience to build a bridge for readers to cross the river between cultures." —Xinran, author of China Witness, Sky Burial, and The Good Women of China
"Eden Collinsworth's adventures on her way to writing a best-selling manual of Western deportment for the Chinese are enchanting. Memoir, travel book, social history, it's also about single motherhood, love, career building, and looking for happiness. I Stand Corrected is an original, fearless, and funny book that you read for its laughs as well as its lessons." —Joan Juliet Buck
About the Author
EDEN COLLINSWORTH is a former media executive and business consultant. She launched the Los Angeles-based monthly lifestyle magazine, Buzz, after which she became VP & director of cross media business development at Hearst Corporation. In 2011 she launched Collinsworth & Associates, a Beijing-based consulting company, which specializes in intercultural communication. Her Chinese language book The Tao of Improving Your Likeability: A Personal Guide to Effective Business Etiquette in Today's Global World has become a major best seller in mainland China.
More About the Author
Eden Collinsworth, a former president of Arbor House Book Publishing Co., started Buzz magazine in Los Angeles before joining the Hearst Corporation as vice president of cross media business development in 1999. She is on the board of directors for Literacy Partners. She lives in New York City.
Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By
Terrance S.
VINE VOICE on September 18, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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Eden Collinsworth's "I Stand Corrected" is an engaging look at her experiences in China from both professional and personal perspectives. Collinsworth's wit is sharp, her sense of humor is sly, and she really knows how to tell a good story. I am a Chinese-American and I travel often between the US, Taiwan, and China for business ~ I work as a bridge of sorts, and I was pleasantly surprised by Collinsworth's keen observations. Many of the challenges she faced during her time in China were actually quite similar to what I need to contend with as well.
In Taiwan, there's a joke that that describes China in computer terms ~ China's running the latest and greatest hardware, but the software is a few generations behind. The hardware refers to the new infrastructure, sprawling industrial complexes, shiny skyscrapers, the booming economy, etc. The software refers to the mentality of the people ~ there is a huge disparity between the rich, the well-educated, the ones who studied overseas, the aspiring middle-class, and people from the countryside. The city of ShenZhen, where Collinsworth spent a significant amount of time as a consultant, is a true melting pot not only of cultures but also economic classes ~ it's not out of the ordinary to see an ox cart sharing the road with a Lamborghini, for example.
Overall, I found this book to be a quick and fun read ~ it's like an having an enthralling dinner guest over, and there were times I laughed out loud, shook my head, and cringed. I was attracted to this book since the author was in a comparable situation to my own, and I was very curious to hear what she had to say. I think it's fairly remarkable that she not only became comfortable with the daily ambiguities of living in China, but she also built a successful business by forging and leveraging relationships. This book gave me a fresh perspective and it reminded me to be more mindful in my own work.
In Taiwan, there's a joke that that describes China in computer terms ~ China's running the latest and greatest hardware, but the software is a few generations behind. The hardware refers to the new infrastructure, sprawling industrial complexes, shiny skyscrapers, the booming economy, etc. The software refers to the mentality of the people ~ there is a huge disparity between the rich, the well-educated, the ones who studied overseas, the aspiring middle-class, and people from the countryside. The city of ShenZhen, where Collinsworth spent a significant amount of time as a consultant, is a true melting pot not only of cultures but also economic classes ~ it's not out of the ordinary to see an ox cart sharing the road with a Lamborghini, for example.
Overall, I found this book to be a quick and fun read ~ it's like an having an enthralling dinner guest over, and there were times I laughed out loud, shook my head, and cringed. I was attracted to this book since the author was in a comparable situation to my own, and I was very curious to hear what she had to say. I think it's fairly remarkable that she not only became comfortable with the daily ambiguities of living in China, but she also built a successful business by forging and leveraging relationships. This book gave me a fresh perspective and it reminded me to be more mindful in my own work.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By
Tracy M
VINE VOICE on September 13, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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What an enjoyable, humorous and informative book! Eden Collinsworth writes in a witty, conversational style about her experience living in China and authoring THE TAO OF IMPROVING YOUR LIKABILITY: A PERSONAL GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE BUSINESS ETIQUETTE IN TODAY'S GLOBAL WORLD.
In the process, she includes here many guidelines that she provided in her etiquette book – rules of eating, handshaking, conversation etc. that illuminate for Westerners just how difficult navigating the norms of Western culture can be for a native Asian.
Some of her guidelines are even helpful communication tips for Westerners, such as: "'I'm terribly sorry if there has been a misunderstanding' is one way of neutralizing the situation when you don't believe you have done anything wrong but the other person obviously thinks you have."
Simultaneously, Collinsworth introduces us to Chinese norms – for Westerners, a confusing mishmash in which mianzi (saving face), avoidance of no-saying, and deference to authority figures reign supreme, but belching and removing one' s socks to clip one's toenails in public are perfectly acceptable. Many of her anecdotes about her own faux pas as well as her observance of Chinese customs and conversation are amusing. Unwittingly, Westerners are likely to indulge in behavior which the Chinese regard as rude, while likewise Chinese probing into one's financial affairs or commenting on one's appearance may offend the Westerner.
Consider for example, Collinsworth's anecdote: "'I see you like food,' was how he began...'I knew that because you are fat,' was what he said next....In China, it happens, being plump is a sign of prosperity.Read more ›
In the process, she includes here many guidelines that she provided in her etiquette book – rules of eating, handshaking, conversation etc. that illuminate for Westerners just how difficult navigating the norms of Western culture can be for a native Asian.
Some of her guidelines are even helpful communication tips for Westerners, such as: "'I'm terribly sorry if there has been a misunderstanding' is one way of neutralizing the situation when you don't believe you have done anything wrong but the other person obviously thinks you have."
Simultaneously, Collinsworth introduces us to Chinese norms – for Westerners, a confusing mishmash in which mianzi (saving face), avoidance of no-saying, and deference to authority figures reign supreme, but belching and removing one' s socks to clip one's toenails in public are perfectly acceptable. Many of her anecdotes about her own faux pas as well as her observance of Chinese customs and conversation are amusing. Unwittingly, Westerners are likely to indulge in behavior which the Chinese regard as rude, while likewise Chinese probing into one's financial affairs or commenting on one's appearance may offend the Westerner.
Consider for example, Collinsworth's anecdote: "'I see you like food,' was how he began...'I knew that because you are fat,' was what he said next....In China, it happens, being plump is a sign of prosperity.Read more ›
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By
ck
VINE VOICE on September 25, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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Writing in an effortless voice is exceedingly hard work. Introducing multiple perspectives and storylines and motivating your readers to stick with you through convoluted passageways and high-altitude soaring adds several degrees of difficulty.
And yet in this slender volume Eden Collinsworth has managed to draw together a primer on Western etiquette (complete with discourse on the etymology of the word), hiccups and triumphs of being an American abroad, and the joys and challenges of crafting a meaningful life for herself and her son.
In less capable hands, these multiple story lines and perspectives would end up in a sorry, knotted mess, but Collinsworth is able to tease out interrelationships and heightened meaning, whether she's illustrating handshake protocol and personal space or detailing the faux pas of using a business card as a nail pick. (Hint: Don't do it. Ever. And when you are Asia-bound, always bring four times as many business cards as you think you will need.)
I suspect that Collinsworth's seemingly breezy style may initially be off-putting for some; my advice would be to withhold judgment until you've reached at least the halfway point of this book. This should provide you with enough of a sense of her take on things that are familiar to you to evaluate how you'll perceive what she offers about the unfamiliar.
For example, while I can't vouch for all of the China nuggets she shares, enough of the components matched my knowledge and experience to make me comfortable with the bedrock of her message. Incidentally, the Xian farmer she mentions? I have his autograph, too, as well as countless photos of the terra cotta warriors, both from that trip and successive visits.
And yet in this slender volume Eden Collinsworth has managed to draw together a primer on Western etiquette (complete with discourse on the etymology of the word), hiccups and triumphs of being an American abroad, and the joys and challenges of crafting a meaningful life for herself and her son.
In less capable hands, these multiple story lines and perspectives would end up in a sorry, knotted mess, but Collinsworth is able to tease out interrelationships and heightened meaning, whether she's illustrating handshake protocol and personal space or detailing the faux pas of using a business card as a nail pick. (Hint: Don't do it. Ever. And when you are Asia-bound, always bring four times as many business cards as you think you will need.)
I suspect that Collinsworth's seemingly breezy style may initially be off-putting for some; my advice would be to withhold judgment until you've reached at least the halfway point of this book. This should provide you with enough of a sense of her take on things that are familiar to you to evaluate how you'll perceive what she offers about the unfamiliar.
For example, while I can't vouch for all of the China nuggets she shares, enough of the components matched my knowledge and experience to make me comfortable with the bedrock of her message. Incidentally, the Xian farmer she mentions? I have his autograph, too, as well as countless photos of the terra cotta warriors, both from that trip and successive visits.
Thank you for your feedback.
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