"There is no other book that comes close to Where the Dragon Meets the Angry River or pulling readers into the wild ride of China's rise. If you want to understand the growing force of nature that is China, Grumbine's account is the best place to begin."
Paul R. Ehrlich, Bing Professor of Population Studies
"Discussions of China's economic and environmental landscape often leave out a key issue—its people. This important and enjoyable book brings their stories to life. In Grumbine's capable hands, hunters, weavers, and school children stop being statistics and start being individuals you can't help but care about."
Wade Davis, author of "The Serpent and the Rainbow", "One River", and "River Notes"
"Ed Grumbine spent decades working with federal land managers and teaching classes in the mountains, canyons, and universities of the American west. Some years ago, he took on mastery of the complex biogeography and anthropology of southwest China especially Yunnan (south of the clouds) Province. He made many trips to China (and read exhaustively) and met the right people to get a solid grasp of the dilemmas that the current government is both creating and grappling with. I don't know a better introduction to the problems of China and its environment—its border peoples, impoverished farmers, and threatened plants and animals—than this book right now."
Gary Snyder, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Turtle Island" and "The Practice of the Wild"
"Grumbine's fascinating new book examines the country's burgeoning environmental movement at its source: in the rain forests, mountains, and rivers of Southeast China. Grumbine deftly blends first-hand experience tramping through Chinese rain forests with untiring research to create a unique landscape of China's burgeoning eco-consciousness."
Sierra
"A must-read for anyone interested in the environmental movement in China. Through his lucid description of the development versus conservation divide on the Nu (Angry) River in Yunnan Province, Grumbine illustrates how, through transforming nature, China's attitudes toward nature are also being transformed."
Xu Jianchu, Senior Scientist and China Representative, World Agroforestry Centre
"Successful balancing act between solid scientific information and an entertaining travelogue."
East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine
"With much information on Beijing's efforts to reach an equitable solution, Grumbine's careful reconsideration of world conservation efforts is an important read for policy makers and grassroots advocates."
Publishers Weekly