Colors of the Mountain

By: Da Chen

Narrated by: Daxing Zhang

Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

Growing up in rural China during Mao's Cultural Revolution, Da Chen was part Horatio Alger, part Holden Caulfeld, befriending both a gang of young thugs, as well as an elegant, older Chinese woman who teaches him English - and opens the door to a new life. Chen's remarkable story of triumph is filled with the universal qualities that distinguish the very best memoirs as it masterfully recounts the concerns of childhood that transcend both time and place. From the excesses of boyhood to the strength of a family and the humor that defies adversity, Colors of the Mountain brings to life a piece of history brimming over with color and passion.

©2000 Da Chen (P)2000 NewStar Media Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Da Chen has written a remarkable coming-of-age memoir filled with humiliation, revenge, vindication, and, ultimately, pride. ... he has looked back at his life without cynicism or self-pity. Colors of the Mountain is a book of great dignity." (Lisa See)

Good book, but audiobook not so much

I initially read the print copy of this book and enjoyed it immensely. I bought the audiobook so my family and I could listen together. Unfortunately, it left something to be desired. The narrator's inflections and pronunciations of words are often incorrect, and several times he gets mid-way through a long sentence and you can tell he loses the meaning of it -- he begins talking word by word by word by word and it doesn't flow, and he begins to trail off. Another thing is the amount of cursing that is used in the book. I don't remember that much cursing in the print copy of the book, but maybe it is just in the hearing of it that it stands out more. While I personally don't feel cursing is necessary except in very limited situations, the cursing in this book seemed particularly unnecessary.
Colors of the Mountain is a good read, but I recommend the print copy rather than the audiobook.

I liked the narrator a lot

I thought his accent added color to the story. He spoke very clearly to my ears, and like another said he narrates with emotion and feeling. The story is entertaining and touching

Why this narrator?

You know what strikes me as odd?
This story is about a poor Chinese boy who makes his way to a good college by learning and excelling in English and YET the narrator can barely speak it! Awkward pauses in the middle of sentences, completely mispronounced words and even the total wrong words at times; puppets in place of puppies, for example. It's distracting to the quality story and I'm sure affected my overall perception.

Inspirational Story

I loved this book. This was a reading assignment for class and, I thank my professor for this.

colors of the moutain review

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes because i thought it was an interesting book worth the time it took to listen to it

Who was your favorite character and why?

da chen because he stood strong and show change and sucsess in all his actions

What about Daxing Zhang’s performance did you like?

yes he showed a lot of emotion and voice veririation

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no and niether