In this engrossing book, veteran Wall Street Journal reporter Dinny McMahon illustrates the why China's storied economic boom is so fragile. He brings to life the problems brought by excessive debt and overcapacity with vivid scenes from his decade on the ground reporting in China. McMahon gives us the backstory of the world’s largest heavy-press forge in the hinterlands of Sichuan; guides us through auctions of decades-old baijiu; walks us through business decisions with a textile manufacturer investing in South Carolina; and explains Premier Li Keqiang’s frustration that even with all of China’s steel production, the country can’t produce a decent ballpoint pen. Along the way, we meet characters from all walks of life in China, from opinionated high-level bureaucrats to a poor farmer who lost his land. He does this all with a keen eye for detail and a remarkable ability to explain complicated economic and financial ideas in a clear, common-sense way. McMahon doesn't try to read the tea leaves of elite politics, and instead shows us in stories that are readable, refreshingly free of jargon, and at times heartbreaking why the Chinese miracle can't go on forever.