---
product_id: 42736639
title: "Notes of a Crocodile (NYRB Classics)"
price: "9.32 OMR"
currency: OMR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 12
url: https://www.desertcart.com.om/products/42736639-notes-of-a-crocodile-nyrb-classics
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---

# Notes of a Crocodile (NYRB Classics)

**Price:** 9.32 OMR
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- **What is this?** Notes of a Crocodile (NYRB Classics)
- **How much does it cost?** 9.32 OMR with free shipping
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## Description

desertcart.com: Notes of a Crocodile (NYRB Classics): 9781681370767: Miaojin, Qiu, Huie, Bonnie: Books

Review: A DOOMSDAY BOOK THAT WILL KEEP YOU HAPPILY DEPRESSED - Irrefutable indicator of what I think of Taiwanese Qiu Miaojin’s Notes of a Crocodile: I just bought her subsequent book, Last Words from Montmartre, that she finished just before committing suicide at 26-years-old. Qiu’s Crocodile is a unique read, written by a perceptive young woman who was frank about her preferring women for intimate love, no news there, but she was setting that forth before it was okay. She was the first. Qui has a consummately brilliant mind. Her anguish comes through to where you can see that a suicide is upcoming. She will generate a few laughs and you will also learn from her. She’s earned high respect in Taiwan. I’ve discovered that books by Asian and Asian-American women – well, always outstanding reads; I’m almost overwhelmed by too many unread books, but I just ordered another of that genre, one by Cora Zeng.(Bat Eater).
Review: "A Survival Manual for Teenagers": And Adults, Too - Those who follow my reviews know that translated fiction is one of my obsessions, so I was delighted to discover NYRB's reissue of the Taiwanese cult classic of queer literature, Notes of a Crocodile. Described by its translator Bonnie Huie as a "survival manual for teenagers, for a certain age when reading the right book can save your life," Notes of a Crocodile nevertheless has much to offer adults, particularly those who are cisgendered. I must confess to being confused by the book's structure for a large chunk of its relatively modest length. Qiu Miaojin moves back and forth between two narratives, with their only connection being thematic. The first story is the one I was expecting from the publisher's description: that of "the coming-of-age of a group of queer misfits discovering love, friendship, and artistic affinity while hardly studying at Taiwan's most prestigious university." The second story provides the novel's title: a crocodile wearing a human suit, à la the dinosaurs in Eric Garcia's Anonymous Rex series, muses on how people vehemently advocate both for and against crocodiles, despite knowing nothing about them and not even realizing that at least one crocodile lives and works among them. At the risk of stating the obvious, the common theme is separation, isolation, and the tendency of some people to make authoritative statements about a group whose experiences they do not share: "In the final analysis, our knowledge and understanding of crocodiles is but a microorganism on a fingernail. But in the customary practice of advanced nations, we will safeguard information within the grip of our metal jaws, holding on as if our lives depended on it." Sound familiar? Notes of a Crocodile concludes with a message which should be emblazoned on the blackboard in every classroom in the world, from preschool to university: "The deeper you love, the deeper your compassion grows and the more you realize that the other suffers just as you do. When all is said and done, human civilization is ugly and cruel, and the only thing to do is to raze it to the ground so it becomes visible that kindredness is the one true constant in relationships." Just imagine the world that might result. This review was based on a free ARC provided by the publisher.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #60,435 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #4 in LGBTQ+ Coming of Age Fiction (Books) #642 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (283) |
| Dimensions  | 5.01 x 0.54 x 8.03 inches |
| Edition  | Main |
| ISBN-10  | 168137076X |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1681370767 |
| Item Weight  | 9.4 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Part of series  | NYRB Classics |
| Print length  | 256 pages |
| Publication date  | May 2, 2017 |
| Publisher  | NYRB Classics |

## Images

![Notes of a Crocodile (NYRB Classics) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/715viRIBRHL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A DOOMSDAY BOOK THAT WILL KEEP YOU HAPPILY DEPRESSED
*by L***K on December 13, 2025*

Irrefutable indicator of what I think of Taiwanese Qiu Miaojin’s Notes of a Crocodile: I just bought her subsequent book, Last Words from Montmartre, that she finished just before committing suicide at 26-years-old. Qiu’s Crocodile is a unique read, written by a perceptive young woman who was frank about her preferring women for intimate love, no news there, but she was setting that forth before it was okay. She was the first. Qui has a consummately brilliant mind. Her anguish comes through to where you can see that a suicide is upcoming. She will generate a few laughs and you will also learn from her. She’s earned high respect in Taiwan. I’ve discovered that books by Asian and Asian-American women – well, always outstanding reads; I’m almost overwhelmed by too many unread books, but I just ordered another of that genre, one by Cora Zeng.(Bat Eater).

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A Survival Manual for Teenagers": And Adults, Too
*by D***H on May 11, 2017*

Those who follow my reviews know that translated fiction is one of my obsessions, so I was delighted to discover NYRB's reissue of the Taiwanese cult classic of queer literature, Notes of a Crocodile. Described by its translator Bonnie Huie as a "survival manual for teenagers, for a certain age when reading the right book can save your life," Notes of a Crocodile nevertheless has much to offer adults, particularly those who are cisgendered. I must confess to being confused by the book's structure for a large chunk of its relatively modest length. Qiu Miaojin moves back and forth between two narratives, with their only connection being thematic. The first story is the one I was expecting from the publisher's description: that of "the coming-of-age of a group of queer misfits discovering love, friendship, and artistic affinity while hardly studying at Taiwan's most prestigious university." The second story provides the novel's title: a crocodile wearing a human suit, à la the dinosaurs in Eric Garcia's Anonymous Rex series, muses on how people vehemently advocate both for and against crocodiles, despite knowing nothing about them and not even realizing that at least one crocodile lives and works among them. At the risk of stating the obvious, the common theme is separation, isolation, and the tendency of some people to make authoritative statements about a group whose experiences they do not share: "In the final analysis, our knowledge and understanding of crocodiles is but a microorganism on a fingernail. But in the customary practice of advanced nations, we will safeguard information within the grip of our metal jaws, holding on as if our lives depended on it." Sound familiar? Notes of a Crocodile concludes with a message which should be emblazoned on the blackboard in every classroom in the world, from preschool to university: "The deeper you love, the deeper your compassion grows and the more you realize that the other suffers just as you do. When all is said and done, human civilization is ugly and cruel, and the only thing to do is to raze it to the ground so it becomes visible that kindredness is the one true constant in relationships." Just imagine the world that might result. This review was based on a free ARC provided by the publisher.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Recommend
*by T***T on November 11, 2025*

Wonderful book, helped me think through some things.....

## Frequently Bought Together

- Notes Of A Crocodile (Nyrb Classics)
- Last Words from Montmartre (New York Review Books) (New York Review Books (Paperback))

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*Product available on Desertcart Oman*
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*Last updated: 2026-02-26*