Meet Me in Venice is a fascinating look into both an aspect of modern Chinese society and the migrants who leave that in search of a better life abroad.

The personal tales are backed up, often, with statistics, but it's the personal tales that make the book. Why do people leave everything they've ever known, to go to a strange land and likely live in miserable circumstances, at least for a while? OK, higher wages is a part ... but it seems like the potential for opportunity is an even stronger incentive.

I am an American, so neither Chinese nor Italian cultures are familiar to me. This book explained a lot of both.

I did not like that some large segments of prose were replicated in at least two different spots, word for word. The excerpts made sense in both areas, but the repetition was annoying.

Still, this is an interesting look at migration, and one that is relevant to current U.S. immigration issues, which look to me like they are impelled by similar forces.