Poor Man's Diary: New Bible for China's Working-class Millionaires?

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Title: Striking it Rich: Diary of China’s Poorest Guy (全中国最穷的小伙子发财日记)
Language: Chinese
Author: Lao Kang (老康)
Publisher: Shanghai Brilliant Publishing House
Launched: April 2010
Contact: Hua Nan

Forget the American Dream. The 21st century is all about the Chinese dream.

Diarist Lao Kang once had it pretty good, but he pinpoints his resignation from a post as manager of a branch of a publicly owned firm in 2002 as the beginning of his decline. From then on, he's unable to find a better job but unwilling to take a lesser one. Eventually, he's unemployed. . . and unemployable. He sponges off his wife’s family, hangs out in cyber cafés and basically vegetates as his life comes to a standstill.

Written in a very direct and readable style, his diary recounts how he ultimately takes a modest job selling building materials, radically changes his attitude toward the opportunities that come his way, founds his own firm and—in just three years—joins the ranks of China’s millionaires.

Readers have responded enthusiastically. Within a month of launch, Striking it Rich ranked Number 2 in sales at Dangdang.com, and Number 26 on OpenBook’s list of national best-sellers (开卷全国虚构类畅销书排行榜).