Asia Books

I've read several books about the fall of Vietnam in 1975 and the evacuation of the Americans and Vietnamese from the doomed country. "Decent Interval" by Frank Snepp is excellent. Snepp sees the events as an Embassy insider -- and one of his purposes is to excoriate the U.S. government -- and Ambassador Graham Martin -- for its failure to evacuate Vietnamese allies. Compared to "Decent Interval," "The Fall of Saigon" has a broader vision and the perspective is perhaps more balanced as it comes 10 years after the event, allowing time for reflection.

Butler begins the book with the attack of the North Vietnamese army in the Central Highlands on March 6, 1975. He ends it with the evacuation of the American Embassy in Saigon and the surrender of the South Vietnamese government on April 30. The evacuation of Saigon was one of the darkest -- but most dramatic -- events of American history. There are heroes aplenty here, especially young diplomats at the Embassy who took enormous chances to help Vietnamese friends and colleagues escape from the advancing communist army. One has to admire the inexperienced Marines who did so well in protecting the Embassy and Americans during those last days. Butler also gives attention to Vietnamese on both sides of the war although the book focuses mostly on the Americans.

Butler was a journalist in Saigon during those last days and the the great majority of the book is compiled from interviews the author had with the American and South and North Vietnamese participants and eye witnesses, including his own experiences. We are treated to some unique stories, for example, to the saga of a missionary couple cut off in the Central Highlands. Most of the book is devoted to an account of the last days of of the U.S. government's presence in Saigon. This story is complex, involving many characters and shifting of scenes. Good maps and photos illustrate the story and Butler's writing is clear, concise, and compelling.

Smallchief

This book documents the last few chaotic weeks of the US presents in Vietnam. The human story is effectively conveyed by first hand accounts of eyewitnesses from many strata of Vietnam society. The author, an NBC reporter in Saigon, witnessed these events firsthand. His unique perspective and access to the diplomatic corps adds a fascinating credibility to the book. His discussion concerning the actions and statements of Ambassador Graham Martin particularly intrigued me. Did Martin's decisions during that period contribute to the frantic last minute evacuation that left many friendlies stranded? The author makes no judgments. Butler includes transcript of many diplomatic cables to and from Martin and Secretary of State Kissinger and the White House concerning events and plans for evacuation and rescue. Reading these transcripts today still convevs a strong emotional impact for this reader. Interspacing these high level discussions are the stories of a whole society turned upside down while "we" skipped town. The Fall of Saigon is not an easy book to read. We are forced to confront the final conclusion of our failed crusade. Our goal was the minds and the hearts but we ended up fragmented the lives of the people we were suppose to help. When one considers the sacrifices made by both countries in treasure and lives the facts concerning the events of April-May 1975 are hard to digest, even after 30 plus years. No judgments are made here, no accusing fingers are pointed; we must read, and ponder.

Butler was a reporter in Vietnam when the world came crashing down on the South Vietnamese government, the United States that had backed it, and the people who had joined the American cause. This is a searing book, worth any number of lofty Frances FitzGerald tomes. Butler was on the street, in the bars, and driving down the road. What's more important, he loved Vietnam and the Vietnamese. Their tragedy was his tragedy. Go find this book, in a library or a used-book store; it's worth the effort. And if you're a publisher, for God's sake get it reprinted.

Finding Joy is a happy tale about the early life of a girl in China who is placed in an orphanage. The happiness comes when the girl is adopted by American parents and brought to the USA.

This is a good read for children to learn about the way other people live.

I too have lots of Chinese and adoption book for my daugther as well, but depending on your daughter you really should see if this book is right for you child by seeing if your local library has it or by ordering it at a book store that won't make you buy the book if you don't like it or think your child is ready for this book. You know your child best, is she emotionally ready and if they are so, to also know about not being born in your tummy, but of someone elses who chose not to keep her.

The 1st page shows a mother & father getting ready to leave their child beside a bridge. It talks about the parents being sad about leaving her and the only mention on this page of the " One- Child policy" rule is the last sentence which says No Room for Girls. There is more information on the very last page in the Author's Note which does speak more of the One Child Policy and Old Chinese belief on why boys are more important that girls.

In the book the baby is found with a note and a red blanket and both are returned on Metcha / Gotcha day. Most children are not found with a note and if they had a blanket I have never heard of a child being given the blanket back to keep.... it would be a wonderful item to have for your adopted child to have the blanket or clothes they where found in. I don't know why they aren't kept......

The book talks of the little girl named Shu-li being found and going to an orphanage with loving caretakers who had " room for girls". The story then goes on to a couple who has older children who are no longer at home but want a daughter to love. The mom excitely travels to China wondering....." yet a thread of fear wrapped around her chest and pulled tight. What would she find in this distant place? Could her family love a baby born to strangers?" Again, think of your child and how they would process this........and in the next page the last sentence reads " The mother smiled. The thread of fear unwrapped and fell away' when she finally sees her daughter. After metcha or gotcha day happens the next page is of mother and daughter flying home with the abandonment note and blanket. Everyone is happy at the airport and Shu-li has a new country, family and name Joy. The story ends with" In a chest in the attic, the red blanket lies neatly folded. When the time seems right, the mother will take it out and tell her daughter about flying far way to the land that had no room for girls, and finding joy"

The illustrations are done in watercolor by Yong Chen and are beautiful. I hope this review helps.

I purchased this book on recommendation from a fellow adoptive parent. We hav all of the other popular picture books on this topic. I have been introducing my daughter's story to her slowly, without much interest on her behalf until we saw the opening pages of this book. She was totally facinated by the story and while the details from then on are different, she is able to comprehend how they apply to her own start in this life. In turn, it has started to unlock some of her questions and early conversations about our familyh. This book brings it front and center and has opened up a lot of great dialog and interest in the other pieces in our library.

It is beautifully and sensitively written and the illustrations are gorgeous watercolor drawing.

Pakistan is a fascinating and unfairly under-rated country. It certainly is one of the poorest in the world but its people are the most welcoming you will ever meet and the scenery is enthralling. I promised myself I'll keep returning to Pakistan every year since my first discovery trip (1998). Look no further for the best guidebook to Pakistan. This new edition is VERY detailed and informative and has even succeeded in improving on the already brilliant previous edition. In my opinion, Lonely Planet's updated 1998 edition is not bad either but does not compare. Have a wonderful journey ! And please, if you go to Lahore, don't miss the beautiful Wazir Khan mosque !

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be indespensible during two trips to Pakistan in the Summers of 03 and 04. A little skimpy on photos and the prices were outdated (it has not been updated since 1998 I wish they would too). other than that it was/is the best on the market, far more engaging and extensive than Lonely Planet. I see Footprint is expected to release a Guide to the Northern Areas. Although I welcome this I think far too many tourists neglect the four provinces down country. This is really where the guide book shines for it reveals so much about the majority of the country that other books neglect or skim over.

While in pursuit if my passion of travel, I have had the chance to use several types of guides, but never have I enjoyed reading any guide as this one. Very detailed, yet simply arranged, and excellent recommendations. Very accurate trekking information is also included in it, along with the typical "touristy" material. Maps could use a little more detail, as I saw it. Prices and other recommendations were excellent! Awesome job!

If anyone is going to Pakistan, I would highly suggest getting this book. There are so many things that I have never known even though I was there for several months.

It's hard to explain how and why, but this is the key to all the unanswer questions about human life circle.

I have read this book both written in Thai and English. This book is really helpful. It's based on true story. I have been to the temple and learned meditation.

I believe this book will help you to understand more about karma and what the meditation can help you to solve problems in your life.

It gave me a deeper understanding of Buddhism, Karma and Meditation, and led me to go and study meditation at the actual temple in the book- in Thailand. The Thai author is a doctor of philosophy and teaches Buddhism at University level. She has been a student and devoted follower of Luang Por Jaran for over twenty years. 'Fruit of Karma' is the first 20 chapters of her originalThai text 'All beings fare according to their karma' which was started in 1987 and grew to 80 chapters in all. It is a work of Faction, or the novelisation of a few years in the life of Luang Por Jaran- a Thai Buddhist monk and Abbot of a temple in Central Thailand. He teaches Vipassana meditation and copes with the daily problems of his local community, besides having to suffer the Fruit of his own heavy Karma. As a result of his many years of practising he has some unusual abilities; able to read minds and 'see' peoples past, present and future karma. This helps him advise those who come with problems. All set in a background of everyday life in Thailand.
More of this story has been written in Thai, and awaits translation.

I have read two other books on the General and listened to another on Books on Tape. Mr. Valley's book is easily the best, probably because he was really there not learning about it from a library. Brilliant insights and personal details fill this magnificent work. Get it! Enjoy it!

Larry Durbin, Captain, United Airlines

David Valley's book, "Gaigin Shogun ..," is great fun and an easy read. At the same time it makes you think about things you may not have thought about before. I never realized how much of the Japanese miracle recovery was attributable to the manner in which the occupational forces governed Japan after the war. Also the excerpts of the writings by MacArthur made the message crisp and believable. It leaves one in awe of MacArthur, and feeling that he may have been one of the most under appreciated hero's of our past. Valley did a fine job. Definitely worth reading.

The author did an excellent job in pointing out the accomplishments of General Douglas MacArthur in Japan. I, also,was one of the General's Honor Guard. David and I went over events during of our tours of duty both before and after the author's assignment of how MaArthur was bringing the Japanese back into the United Nations fold as an upstanding nation. I was delighted to read what he had written , but how well he had written it.

When we compared notes, it became amazing to each of us how slowly the progress was at first. Perhaps, items such as the Marshall Plan and Harry Bridges "Long Shoremans strike" that lasted for over seventeen months. Nobody saw a real potatoe for over six months. Not that anyone suffered for it. Japanese national progress did accelerated over the following short years.

The personal climate to all of us including Mrs MacArthur was that we were unafraid to walk among the Japanese from the very first moments we where there at any time , day or night. There was seldom a case of anamosity shown. The Japanese were model citizens. This is a illustration of how well MacArthurs policies were performing.

The author was factual, brief and very accurate with details. He created each scene with actual quotations from the General about verbal discriptions. The General took all his problems in his stride. The resolve was contigious. When it came to authority, the author precisely depicted the attitudes and backgrounds of the British and the Russians and the worst party of all, our own State Department. He was candid. The General was skillful in his steps that he took. He had spent too much time in the houses of power to be careless with the heads of state and worse their correspondants.

In total, the book is a good comprehensive story of the General who did an extraordinary job of uplifting the country of a former enemy. After all his seventy years of preparation, his experience prepared him well for the task. It is noted that it has not been repeated since the reigns of Alexander the Great and Julis Ceasar.

Wow, I bought this book at a library booksale, and read it probably 1 year later. I was very interested in meditation, peaceful resolution and such. This book is amazing, so full of absoloute wisdom and radically true assesments. I'm a college student and I have been copying this book and giving it away at school functions. Everyone who has children should read this book to find out how the world will end up without a positive personality to lead us through.

It is a small book but easily the single most important text I have ever read. A concise, clear depiction of the principles which motivated to Gandhi, and Dr. King like him, to commit their lives to peace. Unlike most books, De Mallac's appendix offers concrete ways in which to apply these principles and lists organziation devoted to non-violence. Every human should read it and integrate into their world view. NOW.

This little book is a gem! It explains in concise, understandable language the seven key steps to making a positive contribution to the world. The beauty of the book, besides its simplicity and readability, is its practical suggestions for steps that we, as individuals, can take starting today! Focussing on: 1) selfless service; 2) right and fair labor; 3) nonviolence; 4) conciliation; 5) sharing in government; 6) re-education and 7) the sharing of resources, De Mallac skillfully maps out Gandhi's steps to global change. The book also contains a very practical action guide on what we can do immediately to make a difference in these seven areas, including suggestions such as volunteering for groups like the American Friends Service Committe (selfless service) and "not letting a single day go by without practicing some form of giving" (sharing of resources). The Book is filled with pearls of wisdom and resources. It also contains Suggested Readings, a Gandhi Chronology, Goals for Contemporary American Personal and Political Action, and a Declaration of Interdependence - a statement reflecting Gandian values. I'm surprised that this book is not more widely circulated or used as a college text on Gandhian values and nonviolent activism. It should be required reading for anyone seeking to make the world a better, more peaceful place to live.

This is a superb book that includes a lot of information not previously known. Was so interesting to read of how he interacted with his family as well as observation after WW 1 that the middle east countries would be taken by the English and Americans because of the oil.

And how Tolstoy played a role in molding his views on all things spiritual as well as observations on how Gandhi's view effected issues like the environment, feminism, business and human rights in general.

As a journalist who has reported on religion for a quarter of a century, my bookshelves are lined with most of the earlier volumes on this defining spiritual figure of the 20th Century -- a man whose brilliance even shaped the American Civil Rights movement half way around the world and whose teachings continue to inspire and provoke.

Why buy this new book? (And I do urge you to buy it if you are intrigued by this figure who strides across the history of religion like a tireless titan to this day.)

Well, first of all, here's what this book is not. This isn't a breezy read and it isn't a fresh interpretation of one particular aspect or one particular era of Gandhi's life. Even though the biographer is Gandhi's grandson, who was a child when Gandhi was murdered, this is not a memoir of a close associate.

Millions have read Louis Fischer's breezy introduction, first published in 1954. There's probably a paperback edition of Fischer somewhere in your public, school or parish library. You may even have a well-worn copy on your shelf. If you know that version -- Fischer's book (which still stands as a fine introduction) is like a magazine story compared to this full biography.

A number of more ambitious biographies also have been published down through the years, including Eknath Easwaran's 1972 effort to describe Gandhi's "transformation" -- and Yogesh Chadha's thick biography more recently.

What I like about Gandhi's new biography of Gandhi is the substantial, almost formal, way in which the grandson has cast this book as The Definitive Biography. And I agree. To put it simply, I think this is the version of Gandhi's life that we will find on library shelves 25 years from now as the recommended book to read to delve into his life.

"Delve" is a key word here, because you're in for a good long adventure here. At 754 pages, this is a brick of a book. It is "definitive" in the sense that it is a solid, detailed, chronological biography. It's the kind of presentation that will leave readers really feeling that they have trekked with Gandhi across continents -- and through his spiritual and political journeys.

More detailed reviews of this book, published in India, point to very specific aspects within the book -- and the way the author took a balanced approach to them, rather than pulling the most dramatic or provocative bits of Gandhi's life out of context. Generally, Indian media has praised this book.

I share all of this background with you so that you understand exactly what will arrive on your doorstep with a thud if you order this book. It's an adventure in reading that you're going to want to pursue, perhaps, for some weeks.

Now, here's what I really love about this book: In the midst of the chronological tapestry that the biographer weaves from Gandhi's life -- we find these vivid images that open up from time to time. Having just finished my own journey through the book -- I don't think I'll forget the passages of Gandhi's own writing, late in life, that the biographer chooses to leave us with. Yes, we're moving through the detailed account of the final months of his life with dates, places, events and context all described. But, this provides a framework in which the biographer places these windows into Gandhi's own insights. And, in that final section of the book as an example, he has deftly chosen the most vividly revealing passages -- from a satirical note about snakes that Gandhi scribbled to a critic to an achingly beautiful passage about forgiving one's own assassin that Gandhi wrote not long before he was shot down.

It's a big book and a big investment in time -- but well worth the journey.

The Mahatma, the Great Soul of India went to practiced law in South Africa to carry the banner of justice against the usurpers of human dignity.

He defied the unjust authority with wisdom and pacifism.
How ironic that the British Empire, supposedly the torch of liberty and equality stood like a brick wall in the face of Gandhi.

Gandhi was India's first free spirited intellectual to raise a red flag against the notorious Indian cast system.
This book retraces memorable moments in his life.

The book is up-lifting and inspirational.
It is nourishment for the soul.

This book was a pleasure--beautiful photos and nice comments from the subject that explain the occasion and feelings at the time. Highly recommended!

I have read and enjoyed both Lesley Downer's and Liza Dalby's books on geisha, and this gorgeous photo book serves as a lovely accompaniment to both. The text is somewhat sparse (as is to be expected in a photo book) but Komomo's voice really shines through. The foreword by Koito, her geisha "older sister" is also a treat. We get a glimpse of the unique customs of the Miyagawa-cho geisha district. The photos are intimate at times, but never intrusive - the photographer approaches his subjects with respect and affection. Komomo is truly charming and it is not difficult to see why she was one of the most popular maiko in Miyagawa-cho!

I could wish that this book were a little longer, but it is completely worth its purchase price.

I was honored to receive an advance copy of this book and I LOVE IT! "A Geisha's Journey" ranks right up there with "Geisha of Gion" (Mineko Iwasaki) and "Geisha" (Lesley Downer)*. The pictures are a fabulous peek inside a geiko's life and I heartily thank Momo-chan and Naoyuki-san for putting this book together for us! The other books I mentioned are great, but Lesley-san's book is mainly about the history of geisha and Mineko-san's book covers a geiko's life in the 70s. It's lovely to get to know a "21st Century Geisha" (as it says on the front cover).

I recommend this book mostly to seasoned "geisha geeks" like myself. If you're just starting out, read "Geisha" first, followed by "Geisha of Gion"...THEN add "A Geisha's Journey" to your collection.

--------------

* For those who have already read this book, one of the geiko that Lesley-san interviews/mentions, Koito, is Komomo's okasan!

Boyle's excellent, readable, and well-annotated translation of Juvayni is an important resource for scholars of Mongol history. Juvayni is one of the few primary sources, and his work provides both a view of Mongol history and an interesting look at the cross-cultural interactions between the Mongols and conquered peoples. I highly recommend this book to all with an interest in Mongol history.

This book really grabbed my attention. The book is on a topic that I could read forever. Ghengis Khan is the only subject that doesn't make fall asleep in school.

A book with extremely useful quotes and sayings. I would suggest everyone to read it so as to improve the vision for leadership and you don't need to have specific preoccupation with any subject like history or Philosophy etc but you will love this book when you read how Juvaini tries to justify the deeds of the Mongols and the embellished and beautified diction of JA Boyle will enable you to comprehend the subject matter of the book in it's true sense.

This book is amazing. The writer takes a complex subject and makes it understandable and enjoyable. I found the links between cultures and tradtions to be fascinating--especially the geographic and plant connections between China and Appalachia. I can't wait for David's next book.

Great book, full of colorful characters and interesting stories and facts. The author obviously enjoyed talking with all these people (diggers and traders, herbalists and doctors, smugglers and park rangers and many more) and I really enjoyed reading about them and about ginseng. Fascinating book and plant. I need to go plant me some!

Let's see, what do I know about ginseng? It's a supposed herbal panacea, from China (or was that Korea?). It began invading New Age consciousness and health food stores around the time of Woodstock. It has quite a nasty, bitter taste. Oh, and didn't some clever American farmers recently start growing ginseng and selling it back to the Chinese? Clearly what I knew was not a lot, and after reading Ginseng, the Divine Root, I realized half of that was completely wrong. Two facts underpin David A. Taylor's fascinating book: ginseng has been growing in North America for 70 million years; and North Americans have been selling ginseng to the Chinese for almost 300 years.

Treasured by Chinese as a tonic for thousands of years, ginseng had been pushed towards extinction in China when half way around the globe a Jesuit missionary made a fortuitous discovery. In Quebec Joseph-François Lafitau was ministering to Mohawk converts, but in that great theology/science duality so characteristic of his order, he was also intently studying the Iroquois. While there he happened on an article by a fellow French missionary who had travelled extensively in China. Lafitau was intrigued. The article described ginseng, its use and value in Chinese medicine. He then, rather remarkably, set out to see if he could find the plant locally. In 1716 after only three months of searching, Lafitau with the help of the Mohawk, had identified Panax quinquefolium, American ginseng, virtually identical to Asian ginseng. The root had long been used medicinally by the Mohawk and other Native Americans but never with the same passion as the Chinese.

So began a rush for 'forest gold' as thousands in Canada combed the woodlands for wild roots, all destined for a lucrative market on the far edges of the Pacific Ocean. As ginseng fever spread, even Daniel Boone was later involved in the trade down in West Virginia. Ginseng, writes the author, became the United States' first major export to China.

Taylor weaves together the many threads of the ginseng story, a tale that straddles two continents with vastly contrasting cultures. This is reflected, in the differing ways ginseng is valued and used in each. "In Chinese medicine," writes the author, "it's an all-purpose tonic, often blended with more toxic herbs to mellow their effects. In Western medicine it's gaining converts for relieving severe fatigue."

The book reads like an adventure as Taylor follows the American ginseng trail throughout one season, meeting farmers, traders, and various experts, even joining a ranger on a night stakeout in a national park trying to nab poachers of wild ginseng. The story is perhaps most interesting when Taylor joins diggers in the 'hunt' for the root in Appalachia. Wild ginseng is such an idiosyncratic plant that the search for it is considered more akin to hunting - it can, for instance remain dormant underground for several years, waiting for the right conditions before sending up a new shoot. Some diggers claim the plant can camouflage itself or even move! What is more certain is that its relative scarcity these days only adds to the challenge of finding it, and no doubt, to its market value.

It was not until the Seventies, more than 250 years after Lafitau identified the plant that ginseng started to become widely known in the United States. Now Americans spend more than $100 million annually on products listing it as an ingredient.

There are three types of ginseng (in descending order of value): wild, wild simulated, and cultivated. Such is the value of ginseng that 'ginsengers' protect their plants like gold prospectors defend a claim. Even cultivated ginseng, the most common form, is difficult to work with and requires six to eight years to reach the size desired by Asian markets. Wisconsin-grown ginseng is now considered the world's best, and fetches a correspondingly high price. Wisconsin is also the leading exporter.

As quickly as the newer markets for ginseng are growing, China will likely remain the primary market, and not just because of China's huge population and expanding economy. In the West, for every ginseng buff there is a cynic, and five others who couldn't care less. In China by contrast, so strong is the underlying traditional belief in the restorative powers of ginseng. that just about everyone is at least an occasional user.

The book is aimed at the general reader, but industry types might also learn a thing or two given the secretive nature of the business Taylor describes. Readers who are not utter ginseng devotees might find the middle section of Ginseng a little slow, but most of us will be swept through anyway by Taylor's enthusiasm. One chapter though, Served by the Finest Chefs, focusing on ginseng and food, somewhat misses its mark because the central figure, celebrity chef Ming Tsai unlike the other major characters in the book, is not strongly connected to ginseng, at least professionally. He does not cook with the root in his own restaurant, and is surprisingly, unaware of American ginseng.

Taylor winds up this highly engrossing trawl through the history and business of ginseng in Hong Kong and China, meeting with ginseng merchants and visiting specialist markets. We learn, somewhat fittingly for the times, that in China both Asian and American ginseng is now cultivated using modern American methods. That is good news for consumers, but the lasting allure of 'forest gold' has placed the wild root under threat in America, as well as China.