Malaysia Books

...yet isn't that just what a wonderful book is: a glimpse of a new, whole, and unique world view, seen through the eyes of its incandescent characters.

Preeta Samarasan's debut novel "Evening is the Whole Day" is just such a work: so much in it is familiar, is known to us just from living our lives; but then there are the remarkable moments of insight, delivered to us as a treasured gift, and we see and understand things that have always eluded us.

Samarasan creates characters so true and deep that we accept and value their stories, even as they are heartbreaking.

One of the reviewers said something that I want to re-iterate: this book chronicles the tragedy of the absence of love. That is when the evening is the whole day. And so in that absence of love, love is what I notice and think about. The people in this story yearn for a connection to one another, but love can only emerge in the telling of that yearning. Inside the language of the novel is where the love lies. I found myself reading whole passages aloud. I could have used scissors to cut out certain descriptions I loved and pasted them into a blank book and called it a book of poetry. That space between the tragedy of the absence of love and the redemption of the writing of it, that gap is heart-breaking and heart-restoring.

Preeta Samarasan has written the year's most ambitious and compelling novel. The prose is absolutely beautiful, the movement of time is mesmerizing, and the characters are unforgettable. I highly recommend this book, and eagerly look forward to her next.

Trying to think what the novel is about, in my mind I skip right over "about a family" to "Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. " But it is also about a country. The novel is centered on a rich Malaysian Indian family, put in the context of several generations but really focusing on two. The main protagonist is.... well, I'll let you decide for yourself. There is a 6-yr old Asha, who is virtually abandoned by everyone, wandering the Big House and talking to some really awesome ghosts; then her older sister Uma, who can't wait to leave for America and her Ivy League school, and who mostly subsists inside her own head, for reasons unknown. They have a somewhat less consequential brother, Suresh, but one of the main catalysts of all sorts is a rubber-plantation girl, Chelam, who is a servant helping their old and infirm grandmother. There is the bitter mother, Amma, and the brilliant lawyer father, Appa. The plot goes back and forth in time, and mostly just back, to explain certain mysteries and relationships.

What I absolutely loved most of all was the writing. I feel that the author must choose her words ultra-carefully. Everything feels in its right place and it sounds right because the right word was chosen (and no other could be). The first thing I can think of when describing this writing is delicious. It was really delicious to plow through the weaves of the language in combination with all the carefully planted details. It's always the little things that matter and that ultimately make up a character. The author's really filled them all in, preparing the ground in such way that the final narrative outcome is a very natural conclusion.

The usual descriptions of Samarasan's book are valid: energetic, rollicking, compassionate and political. Besides the vehicle of the language (which is vital, abundant and teeming- all I think characteristics of any tropical country!), the characters are wonderfully conceived, the clear eyed view of Malaysian politics well analyzed, and the hypocrisy that results when public lives differ so sharply from private lives (as it often does with Tamil people!) well conceptualized.

I think it was Naipaul who bemoaned the fact that when he started writing he could not find any substantive account of Trinidadian life. He of course conceived of the postcolonial man as shapeless, stunted and forever disfgured by the singular act of oppression. But, he started writing and creating a lexicon of what it means to come from this world, and what that world looks like so that others would have a new language to understand their experience.

I think that is Samarasan has done here. I grew up in Singapore and found no literary (or political, but that's another matter) prism to reflect my personal experience; of growing up as a minority in an Asian culture, of the resultant hypocrisy and strange obeisance, of the subtle and underhanded discrimination that is felt but not talked about, of the day when political fear pervades the personal life. From

Not since Eliot set upon the drizzly Dank has an Americanevidenced such bold, imaginative writing. I accidently happened uponProfessor Sloane- White's ethnography while designing what is perhaps the first psychology curriculum to emphasize a cultural and international perspective for the national university of a developing country. Sloane- White's account of a segment of Malay society added to our perspective in considerable measure through its imaginative,lucid conceptualization of a people seeking to define themselves in their emergence from a colonial past. We have appreciated far better after our reading of this remarkable volume how psychological personal identity must be coupled or integrated with a conceived social/ cultural dimension - here represented as nationhood...this revealing work, one as melodic in its prose as an Eric Clapton piece is in its musical lines.END

Not since Eliot set upon the drizzly Dank has an American evidenced such bold, imaginative writing. I accidently happened upon Professor Sloane- White's ethnography while designing what is perhaps the first psychology curriculum to emphasize a cultural and international perspective for the national university of a developing country. Sloane- White's account of a segment of Malay society added to our perspective in considerable measure through its imaginative,lucid conceptualization of a people seeking to define themselves in their emergence from a colonial past. We have appreciated far better after our reading of this remarkable volume how psychological personal identity must be coupled or integrated with a conceived social/ cultural dimension - here represented as nationhood.

Do hurry in re-stocking this revealing work, one as melodic in its prose as an Eric Clapton piece is in its musical lines.

We hope to tempt the Professor to an invited lecture to help launch our new psychology major in the upcoming academic year, and look forward to more from pen.

Essentially, an ethnographic account of the Malay rich, the first of its kind in English, but there exists a number of similar ethnographies in Malay not mentioned or referred top. The book is strong on the narrative but so-so on the analysis, and offers no real new secondary data. Should be read along with Scott's "Political Ideology in Malaysia" (1974), a semi-ethnographic study of Malay top bureaucrats.

Good news from the frontiers of international capitalism: the magic of the market, mit entrepreneurial hustle reveal urban Malays' hots for profits, for the scramble for them--and the efforts made to square this lust for entrepreneurial life with old customs and beliefs. I enjoyed the fascinating portrayals of successful Malays seeking to sanctify the pursuit of success with conventional moralism. It is illuminating to compare the most rapacious American nineteenth century robber barons' invocations: an ethic of hard work and providential rewards, with modern Malay mild businessmen's explanations of their wealty state among others, rich and poor. This book shows a superb effort in this regard. Those robber barons conflated selfish ambitions with civic virtue, and merged private gain with public good.

A was a most worthwhile read: Sloan's compelling comparisons of competing styles of capitalism, often shown through the lives of Malay entrepreneurs. It is a book, this, that imparts excitingly, the ironies and conflicts, the contradictions, among the styles of global capitalisms extant.

See how some entreprenuers present themselves as noble or heroic. This is a masterful synthesis of original research and writing, in a tone perfect to the historical moment. This is a time, after all, when CEOs posture as culture heroes, multinationals equate entrepreneurship with creativity, and the marketplace enjoys the status that God enjoyed in medieval thelogy. I won't spoil it--read this book--to see how the Malays do it!

Jolly good piece of vibrant field work and writing with imagination!

Malay Muslim enterprise is cleverly revealed; their pentient for "entrepreneurship" is exciting and is taken in like firewater or an elixir.

Affirmative action surely worked its magic for many malays, and acted as black magic against other ethnics. The price through history may be presented as as an aggravated ethnically polarized country, not yet a nation, in the sense of a pressing awareness of the needs and aspirations of all ethnic groups in Malaysia. Dr. Sloane brilliantly unravels the mystery of development of the Malays via a government program of affirmative action.Other Malaysians haven't been beneficiaries of economic policy: they mainly get it in the neck, affirmatively and laconically.

Deeply contextualized descriptions of social class, gender, domestic life and the Malay facility for networking help to show the dramatic effect of a dominant Malay Muslim government policy on economic development- to be understood, without ambiguity, as quotas, big time.

This book appears to be the first in depth research of urban, affluent Malay culture in the process of radical transformation into modernity/ postmodernity- quite a ride for those experiencing the consequences of this state-led, hyper pro-Malay capitalist moderne intensification-- wedded, in part, to Islamic resurgence.

One of my favorite chapters involves the business of alliances in elucidating the social relations among the young lions of entrepreneurship; relatedly, I was fascinated by what Sloane conceives of as the social limits of an entrepreneurial identity.

One wishes all ethnographic studies were so brilliantly conceived and executed, clearly and briiliantly written, quite touching, really.

This book is Malaysia all the way. Having now lived here four years, it is astounding how little things have changed. If I were Mr. Rehman, I'd still be worried about ending up in 'government guest quarters' for a couple years! A 'must read' for anyone who has to do business in Malaysia. Fortunately, as more Malaysians become like Rehman, the accuracy of this book will fade into fable.

A Malaysian Journey is the best general book on contemporary Malaysia available. It is a great read for anyone interested in Malaysia, whether you know a great deal about the country or very little.

The book actually describes two journeys: a physical one that the writer undertakes on his return home to Malaysia after a long sojourn overseas; and a critical walk through Malaysian's sometimes turbulent post-independence history. Rehman Rashid's documentation of the Malaysian psyche is uncompromising in its attempt to challenge and engange the perceptions of a new generation of Malaysians. Recommended for background reading on Malaysia and for visitors looking for more than a few sticks of satay. A must-read for all Malaysians.

I have to confess to owning this book for seven years before reading it. A habit of mine, buying books in large numbers then reading them at leisure. Delayed reading "A Malaysian Journey" because, quite frankly, much English language Malaysian writing is hard work.

But what a wasted seven years: this was a revelation. Fluid, beautifully constructed, alternating chapters contrasting the author's personal life journey to the history of his country. On this basis the author wins, coming out ahead of his Prime Minister Mahathir by a nose - incidentally he claims to have once dated the PM's daughter Marina. But he is a far better writer than her.

In fact stayed up till 3.30 a.m. last night just to finish this, and my first act this morning was to copernic the web to find out what else he'd written in the last ten years. That should tell you something.

We will shortly be living in Malaysia for 10 months and wanted a non-tourist introduction to the society and culture. This book is a highly personal and, therefore, highly biased, narrative, by a native of the soil (bumiputra) with an unusually mixed background, who has grown up as Malaysia became a country. At that, it is extremely well-written, both in language and structure. It examines modern Malaysia's history and visits many of its major towns, as seen by the eye of a hopeful-but-critical citizen. Of course we could not judge its factual accuracy but the tone and thoroughness are quite credible and we recommend the book highly.

This book is incredible. First, the photography is excellent, beautifully portraying most of the recipes. The book begins with a complete listing of all of the ingredients used. It is about 6 pages of pertinent information, including pictures for some of the most obscure ingredients. The recipes cover a thorough range of the basic recipes that you may be looking for. I am Indian and am thrilled with the list. Just about every recipe is critical, they appear back-to-back and have several pictures. I will probably cook every recipe in the Indian section. That section alone makes it worth the purchase. However, it covers seven other asian cuisines in a very similar manner. It also offers enticing "melting pot" menus, mixing the cuisines. You will get the recipes you want, that you can make, with a little commentary and exquisite pictures. This is one of the best cook books I have ever seen.

All recipes are well described and illustrated. Everything is clear and easy to understand.

It is soo good !! I tried the eggs curry from Indonesia it is so yummy !! Also the have menu suggestions so that was real helpfull since I do a lot of parties !!!

Picture of Singapore's famous food example spicy satay,laksa,chicken rice...

This is a very insightful and candid personal account by a top-ranking Malaysian diplomat of her experiences in the United States during a five-year tour of duty. Especially informative and interesting are the following chapters: "Black Washington" on Washington D.C.'s very poor Northeast and Southeast sections which are unknown to most tourists; "A District in Search of Statehood" on the citizens of the nation's capital having no voting representation in Congress; "The Rise and Fall of Dot-Coms" about the dismal fate of many Internet companies; "The Battle for a Legal Presidency" about the complicated and controversial 2000 Presidential Election; and "Beyond the Beltway" on the author's fascinating travels throughout the United States. In these and other chapters, the author's writing is interspersed with her keen observations and her frank impressions and comments. The book reads extremely well and is infused with her good sense of humor. The book is very useful to members of the diplomatic community and the general public.

"A Diplomat Arrives in Washington" is a non-fiction book, easy to read and rather compelling and most engrossing at certain stages. It is difficult to put down once you start reading it. Recommended for young diplomats or those interested in writing of their experiences while travelling or working in foreign countries.

A must-read book!

As a fellow diplomat, I found this book interesting and oft-times, funny to read. The language and the presentation style of the writing makes it easy to relate to, and is something that can be read anytime and anywhere.

I especially like the way in which one chapter has practically no connection with the other. There were some chapters I skipped, though, like the dot.com part - but that was just because I had no interest in the subject. It had nothing to do with the way the author presented it.

As far as the chapters concerning the United States is concerned, I found it to be a frank description of the way in which DC works, and of the actors themselves. It helps to understand the American system from an outsider's viewpoint. If this is what the book had originally set out to achieve, then I am glad to report that it has done exactly that.

All in all, I would recommend this book for budding diplomats, diplomats serving in the DC area, as well as for anyone who have entertained the idea of being a diplomat. Happy reading!

A new, updated edition of this book is available from RFF Press / Resources for the Future. Its title is: "Managing Natural Wealth: Environment and Development in Malaysia"

This path-breaking book applies rigorous and invaluable economic analysis to major natural resource and environmental policy issues in Malaysia under the New Economic Policy decades of the 1970s and 1980s-a period of profound socio-economic changes, rapid depletion of natural resources, and the emergence of serious air and water pollution problems.

It examines the interrelationship among natural resources, environmental quality, and economic development. This scholarly work addresses, from an economic perspective, a broad set of natural resource and environmental issues in Malaysia and places it in a historical context.

This book would be of particular interest to resource and environmental economists, and development economists, i.e. anyone seeking a thorough understanding of the economic underpinnings of natural resource and environmental management policy in fast-growing, resource-abundant Malaysia. It represents a reference volume to facilitate further research on Malaysian natural resource and environmental policy issues.

Dr Jeffrey R. Vincent is a Fellow at the Harvard Institute for International Development. Formerly director of the Centre for Environmental Studies at Malaysia's Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Dr Rozali Mohamed Ali is currently executive director of Commerce Asset Holdings Berhad.

The book does a fine job of compiling evidence and results. The book is clearly written and organized. The book is a welcome additon to the study of Malaysia and to study of environment and development in general. The fisheries section, the sector I know from first-hand experience, is well done and includes original material.

As with the previous reviewers comments, this is a great synopsis of the broadcasting world in Malaysia. It would benefit from a revised edition, particularly to reflect the efforts of RTM to expand to the new media formats (Internet broadcasting, etc.)

The book provides excellent background knowledge which is useful to anyone in the region's broadcast history, or anyone interested in regional broadcast network developement. The research is in depth, and explores all governmental and cultural influences which steered the path of broadcast in the Malaysian-Indonesian archipelago. However, the information requires updating for Malaysia at least, as the addition of two new private terrestrial stations (Metrovision and NTV in Kuala Lumpur) and the two competing Pay TV services (Mega TV [cable] and Astro [satellite]), and the planned privatization of RTM2. For history, Broadcasting in the Malay World is a valuable reference, but hopefully Drew McDaniel will be authoring an updated version in the near future to reflect the current state of the industry in the archipelago.

This book is the most widely use in Borneo. Having work in the field of wildlife management and conservation in Sabah for more that 20 years i must say that Dr.John Payne is among the most well known scientist in Borneo. His book is user friendly. I wish to congratulate Sabah Society for noteworthy contribution to the advencement of knowledge in the field of mammalogy particullarly in Sabah and Malaysia in general.

The only comprehensive guide to the mammals of the Greater Sundas, this book covers all species known to occur on the entire island of Borneo (Kalimantan, Sabah, Sarawak & Brunei) with excellent drawings, information on ecology, distribution and status.
Also described are major nature reserves of Borneo, especially of the Malaysian third of the island.
It is also the only mammal guide one can use for Sumatra, Java and Bali, and an Indonesian language edition, available from WCS in Bogor, actually includes an appendix of Sumatran & Javan species not occuring in Borneo, and describes the differences between those and the similar Bornean species.
The original English language edition is available cheaply at www.nhbs.com!

An outstanding achievement in historical research of the many heroes of WWII. This book is a factual account of a joint Australian and British raid by sea on the Japanese held port at Singapore. The men of this daring raid are true heroes will forever be remembered. It should be noted that Major Tom Hall (Australian Army retired) had a great deal of input into this book and without his assistance would not have been possible. The exploits of the 2 operations "Jaywick" and "Rimau" are also covered in at least 3 other publications and made into 2 television mini-series produced in Australia. The men involved in these operations were all members of the elite Australian "Z" Special Forces. The men of the second raid were all eventually executed (butchered) by the Japanese at Changi Singapore only 6 weeks before the surrender of Japan at the end of WWII. Some of their close relatives IE: sons and wives are still alive and well today. Col Ivan Lyons son also joined The Gordon Highlanders and has since retired and lives in country England. The wife of Captain Bob Page, Mrs Roma Page is living in Canberra, Australia and is still very active in war veterans affairs. Her life story is also inspirational. I highly commend this book to anybody that believes in factual heroes and men of true grit. Once you've read it you'll be hooked for life !

This is an beautifully written book that flows faultless from start to finish. I was first fascinated with Operations Jaywick and Rimau after seeing the dramatization on TV in the late 80's/early 90's. However, like most TV and film, it left me gasping for more information. I wanted to know why those heroes died the way they did. By sheer luck I found this book and could not believe the decades of effort that Major Tom Hall put into finding the closest to the truth. And indeed the horrific situations grippingly described in this addictive book are a fitting tribute to my generation group 55 years ago - I am currently 25 years old. The selfless attitude of the young men who risked their lives for our freedom makes you proud to have even learnt their names. We will never know quite what happened to these men, and that is all part of the mystery that draws you in. However, I hope that I can pass on this story through the many generations to come so they realize that whilst they may not have lived through these times, they must NEVER forget. Bravo!

This is one of the funniest loveable books on the market. We have 4 chidren ages 2 1/2 to 8 and they enjoy this book over and over. I recommend this to all. BRILLIANT. Thank you

Very enjoyable story with a nice twist at the end. My two children enjoyed it on the first reading and it is still one of their favorites ! I recommend it to anyone - either with or without children !