Who is claire van houten

Ultimately, Susan Jane Gilman takes you on her journey with no apologies and humor, and she is certainly an author that us fellow writers can draw inspiration from and seek to find our own voices in this world. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email.

Notify me of new posts via email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Skip to content One of the things I love the most about reading new books is not just discovering a new world, but discovering an author whose words take you on a journey that you never want to end.

Rate this:. Like this: Like Loading Share your thoughts Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:. Email required Address never made public. Name required. Gilman called her parents in tears, ready to fly home. Nearly a quarter-century later, she has written a memoir that is a testament to the power of travel to wrench us out of our comfort zones, to rattle our preconceptions like so many loose nuts and bolts, and to leave us to reassemble our view of the world and our place in it.

As she did in two earlier, hilarious memoirs, Kiss My Tiara and Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, Gilman describes her working-class urban roots, this time contrasting them to the origins of her wealthy friend, whom she calls "Claire Van Houten" to underscore their class differences. Still, both women begin their journey as ugly Americans—brats, really. Plumbing—as brought to you by Charles Dickens," Gilman quips when confronted with a hostel's shower, a concrete cube with a bent pipe jutting out of the wall.

Van Houten doesn't see the humor; she's panicked at the lack of a shower curtain. My thighs are a nightmare.

In , Western tourists were rare in China, and the women drew crowds of curious locals fascinated by their big noses and pale skin. Under constant scrutiny, Van Houten falls apart. Whether from the emotional strain or the malaria pills she is taking, she becomes paranoid and hallucinates that the CIA, the FBI, and the Mossad are after her.

In southern China she bolts. With good reason Gilman fears that if the Chinese officials discover Van Houten to be mentally ill, they will lock her up. Gilman's story could have been just another self-indulgent saga of overeducated and under-experienced Americans discovering that the world is more complex than they knew, but Van Houten's breakdown changes everything.

Forced to take charge of the situation, Gilman grows up fast, cashing in her clever banter and girlish giggles for the richer currency of responsibility. It's a good trade. Support the BAM. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram. What do you think? See what other readers are saying about this article and add your voice. Related Issue. Related Articles. A Brown alum Zoom musical captures pandemic connections. A pair of Brown alums—turned—local-officials lead the way on green energy.

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