In Cantonese, gweilo means “ghost man”, a somewhat derogatory piece of slang referring to Caucasian males. However, its use is so prevalent in Hong Kong, that even Westerners employ it to describe each other. This ambivalent approach to the issue of race and culture is central to author Martin Booth’s memoirs of his early childhood. Booth’s family arrived in Hong Kong in 1952 (his father was a civilian employee of the Royal Navy) and for the next three years, young Martin set about exploring every nook and cranny of the colony, then a sleepy outpost of the British Empire. In his book, he vividly recounts his daily adventures, from exploring the darkest reaches of the infamous Kowloon Walled City, to defending his father from an angry mob by surprising them with Cantonese obscenities. While at times Booth’s writing can be overly novelistic, his entertaining voice and lively tales bring to life a Hong Kong forever gone. That said, the book ends with a sad footnote. Booth wrote Gweilo after he was diagnosed with brain cancer, completing the work just before he passed away in February, 2004. For readers though, the author’s past will never be lost.
Bantam Books/Transworld

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Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2006 issue