Asia Books

This book is worth its price for the introduction alone. The author recounts political history of India's Kerala state through the many waves of European trade and reveals a larger historical context for European history that is invariably missing from all so-called World History classes taught at U.S. universities. The auther is herself a descendant of the players in the history she recounts.
A worthwhile investment for any Indian American under the age of 45.

Reviewed by Tammy Petty Conrad for Reader Views (12/07)

What a delicious read! I have a wonderful collection of cookbooks and the ones I enjoy most are the ones that read like novels. They include stories about the food and people who make the dishes. Even if I never get around to cooking anything included, I appreciate the flavors and tales behind the delicacies shared. This is one of those books.

The author, a native Indian from Kerala in the southwestern part of the country, shares her background and her family's recipes in such a loving way. She includes not only recipes, but the traditions, history and memories that go with them. I learned about the variety of food in her country and the diversity of recipes available in different regions. I also discovered some interesting historical facts. Having lived in the United Kingdom previously, it was fun to learn how some of the dishes arrived there from India and how they were modified for British palates. Interestingly, the Mulligatawny soup found in London started out much differently in India as molagu thanni!

I took many notes as I read about the author's childhood and the dishes she remembered most. Paayasam, a type of banana pudding made with plantains and coconut milk, grabbed my attention. Now I know what to do with the plantains I always see at the grocery store looking a bit lonely! This is a vegetarian book, but that is no reason for meat lovers to disregard it. The variety of dishes is amazing.

The author says that "The skill of a traditional cook depends on his or her ability to judge taste with the eyes and nose." Traditionally you are not allowed to taste a dish while making it. I can't imagine not taking at least one small taste before serving something to my guests. Or being so attuned to your cooking that you would automatically know by the smell or sight whether it needed adjusting.

The author is also aware that anytime you try a new cuisine you need to take the time to learn about the ingredients and what they are used for, even how you can find them or what you can substitute for them if needed. Chapter Two goes through not only ingredients, but cooking methods and utensils required. At the end of the book, she includes an internet resource list for those who live in areas without available ingredients. She talks about the magic of spices and says that "Understanding spices is the cornerstone of the art of Indian cooking...." One thing I hadn't thought about was howmuch the flavor of spices can vary from brand to brand and depending on where they are grown. She gives us permission to make adjustments based on our own palates and understands that cooking is a personal venture.

There are so many wonderful recipes to choose from. Mathan Puzukku, pumpkin and red beans with coconut and curry leaves, is a thick curry I can't wait to try. Anything with coconut grabs my attention like Varuthupperi Kootaan, or fried plantains in coconut yogurt sauce. There is a whole chapter just on puddings. The recipe index is quite helpful as are the menu suggestions.

All that's left for me to do is make a list and go the new Indian grocery store that just opened in my neighborhood. With "Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts," I will have an adventure in my kitchen and who knows, maybe it will lead me to travel to India and try the dishes firsthand someday.

Very nicely written, lots of historical data connected to the food of the region which was entirely new to me. Enjoyable reading and interesting recipes. Since I do like Indian Food, my hope is to try some of the recipes when time allows.

This is a really remarkable book, self-published and free of hype. There are no glitzy photographs of the food, which is a shame because I'll bet it's beautiful, but there is a pithy history of Kerala and then there are the recipes. They are exquisite, and the vibrant flavors of the food are conveyed by the author's enthusiastic descriptions. I'm not a vegetarian, but could live meatlessly and lusciously for weeks on these recipes. For vegetarians, this is a bonanza. The recipes range from relatively simple to complex, but none of them seem undoable in an American kitchen. The author has lived in America for a while, so she is familiar with the equipment and ingredients available here, and makes this cuisine approachable for us. Her notes are thorough and engaging, and well worth a read even if you don't plan to make that particular dish. If you have any interest in Indian cooking, or even if you don't want to cook it but enjoy reading about it, this is the best book on Indian cuisine that I've seen in a long time.

6/27/2007
Grains, Greens and
Grated Coconuts:
Recipes and Remembrances of a
Vegetarian Legacy
By Ammini Ramachandran
Foreward by Suvir Saran
Reviewed by Marty Martindale
It seems, the best cuisine in India is never found in restaurants, but in private homes where treasured recipes are used along with priceless experience and wisdom.
This book is based on the household cooking of Kerala in India and its many vegetarian marvels. The country of India is vast and complex, and Kerala is home to several key spices including the practically universal black pepper. The ancient spice trade caused
Kerala to became a very sought-after destination for millions. With each visitor came new plants and trees in exchange for their treasured spices. In the book, Ramachandran devotes forty pages to the vast number of visiting groups and their contributions the region over many years.
Next is carefully detailed information on their spices, herbs and vegetables, also the importance of rices in their diet. Following these, she explains cooking procedures and unique utensils.
Here are short descriptions of recipes in the book you might wish to try first:
* Varutha Erisseri -- Green Plantains in Toasted Coconut and Cumin Sauce: Basically this is a dish of stewed plantains, chili powder, turmeric powder, freshly grated coconut, vegetable oil and cumin seeds. The sauce is made from oil, mustard seeds, more chili and curry leaves. Served over rice.
* Tomato Pachadi - Tomatoes in a Fresh Coconut and Yogurt Sauce: Tomatoes, turmeric powder, grated coconut, green chilies and yogurt. For a garnish, combine vegetable oil, mustard seed, a fried chili, curry leaves and brown sugar.
* Vishu Kanji - Rice Soup with Coconut Milk: This simple dish is made from two kinds of rice, frozen lima beans and coconut milk.
* Maanga Chammanthi - Fresh Mango Chutney: Combine mangoes, grated coconut and green chilies in a blender.
Grains, Greens and Grated Coconuts is not a book about a cuisine you will cook quickly, for it demands study and practice. However if you are willing to spend time and feel at home with new combinations, you will get closer each time you work with it. Possibilities for some new taste combinations are definitely reachable and offer an exciting prospect!
For supplemental information, the author recommends these sites:
PEPPERTRAIL
INDIAN HOME COOKING
AMERICAN MASALA
You can reach Marty Martindale at: FOOD SITE OF THE DAY

As far as I'm concerned, this book does an excellent job detailing China's foreign policy. From relations with the West to African affairs, Nathan and Ross are able to concisely explain the importance of each relationship and the dangers confronting China. Furthermore, they also touch on the internal security concerns that the Chinese government must confront. This is a great book to read for people interested in China's foreign policy and what impacts it has on the world.

This book should be mandatory reading for anybody interested in China, or in world politics. Nathan and Ross explain China's place in the international political arena, both froom Chinese perspective and from western point of view.

Excellent!

Nathan and Ross have constructed an excellent book discussing the vulnerability of China. The book goes into great depth discussing issues such as: Taiwanese independence, nuclear proliferation, the strength of the chinese military, the necessity of U.S. intervention in Asia, the relationships existing between China and Japan or the two Koreas, Tibetan freedom, technological exchange with Pakistan. Ultimately, Nathan and Ross conclude that China is a weak and vulnerable country that is more concerned with maintaining its borders and internal stability than initiated a policy of imperialism. This book is a great edition for any student of Asian Politics. Easy to read.

Andrew J. Nathan and Robert S. Ross's THE GREAT WALL AND THE EMPTY FORTRESS is a clearly and tightly written presentation of Chinese foreign policy and defense issues. It is as reliable in its treatment of aspects of the pre-modern Chinese state and society that impinged on the course of modern Chinese affairs as it is authoritative (and well documented) in its analysis of the contemporary Chinese situation. With books on contemporary Chinese affairs, one must be concerned with material becoming dated, but though this book is some four years old in content, nearly its entirety is nevertheless very relevant. Its treatment of Chinese-Taiwan relations, for instance, is still on the mark. Since the book was written before the restoration of Hong Kong to China, the reader will not be able to glean anything new about that situation here. However that may be, this book remains as "must reading" for any student of contemporary China. The reader will happily discover that the style is eminently readable.

National security is a term we're used to hearing in the United States, but with rare exception "security threats" are in fact threats to America's vast informal empire abroad (military bases, troop deployments, the security of client regimes and business interests). As Ross and Nathan ably show, this is emphatically not the case for China. Even though "China is stronger today and its borders more secure than at any other time in the last 150 years", it continues to face a bewildering array of vulnerabilities -- from internal unrest to border insecurity to economic instability.

This book is a good corrective to the growing right-wing trend of playing up the "China threat". Ross and Nathan make clear that China's goals are not particularly ambitious and their capabilities so limited that even if the sinister cabal of Communists plotting against America's beneficent reign were real, it would be hard pressed to act out its evil intentions. Chapter 8, in particular, demolishes the idea that China's military will any time soon provide a real challenge to Japan, much less the USA.

Despite the great service Ross and Nathan provide in refuting the containment school's arguments, this book also has basic problems. Because it is a survey, the authors can only superficially treat each of the many issues raised. They do a good job of integrating history and current events, and the book should be quite useful for those mostly unfamiliar with its topics, but for those with more detailed knowledge it will often by unsatisfying.

Second, the authors use the national security paradigm to orient their analysis, but seem unaware of the drawbacks to such an approach. "National" security indulges the false idea that all groups and individuals within a nation can share the same interests and that national leaders act, fundamentally, on behalf of the whole population. In reality security policies generally hurt the interests of some groups while advancing those of others, and China's leaders act to perpetuate their own power and the power of the Communist Party, and to protect the interests of the increasingly influential business elite. The authors' inability to consider such matters leads them to seriously downplay the ruling class's increasing economic exploitation of workers and its violent domination of ethnically non-Han peoples in East Turkestan/Xinjiang, Tibet/Xizang, and Inner Mongolia.

And finally, the authors approach the subject from the perspective of the engagement school, which has both strengths (discussed above) and very serious weaknesses. Proponents of engagement are ideologically incapable of seeing that the current global economic system is based on inequality, exploitation, and the denial of people's basic needs (food, health care, shelter) and that it is upheld by American military domination of other people. Ross and Nathan's ultimate recommendation, then, is that China be safely integrated into this system -- not because doing so will help the Chinese people, but because doing so removes a threat to the safe operation of a fundamentally unjust world order.

When I read this book sometime back, I was reading it just to read.As I got into the book I found it hard to put down. I cried, I got angry,I hated HATE. I lost two brothers in this mess! Whose loss is greater. Are we not all equal? What these people went through just to survive was dispicable. We take advantage of life! I fell in love with Haing Ngor, I wish I could have met him and hugged his neck. Not in a sexual way, but as a loving sister. This was the most precious kind of man. He gave of himself in a way we should all be doing.What he went through we could only imagine. To watch babies be ripped out of the wombs of women and to go from rich to poor, to watch your world crumble before your eyes and still have love for your fellow man. I have a respect for all life, we all need to open our eyes and look around. Life is a blessing and we should count ours. I love my country,and our people, but that doesn't mean I can't love others to. Haing S. Ngor was a great man who gave for all countries, and all men. He had a heart of gold. May God forgive us all for the Hate we hold.

Enter into the compelling story of a truly remarkable man, Haing Ngor, living through the Cambodian holocost of the late 1970's under the Khmer Rouge. Be prepared, however, for some of the most gruesome torture that a man could suffer - both physically and mentally. If you have any heart at all, you will be changed by this book.

The story begins with a history of Haing's early life in a peaceful Cambodian existence that would be no more. You see a life that is transformed into that of a frial, hungry, tortured and battered peasant. He has everything physically and materially stripped away from him and only his wife to live for. And the story gets even worse. But, through it all, this man clings to hope and a faith in his God that defies all sense reason.

The story does not end painfully. You will see how this one man's deep scars and loss literally transform him into something greater than what he began as. It is not an easy read, but a very compelling one.

I'm sorry that it took me so long to find this book, partially because the book is actually entitled "SURVIVING the Killing Fields: The Cambodian Odyssey of Haing S. Ngor" (and after all this time it took only a few days to read it). Aside from that, it's probably the most intense memoir about life under the Khmer Rouge. Also gives thorough insight into the social and political maze that led led to Pol Pot's reign of terror, and what happened to Cambodia afterwards. Ngor also told not only the *deeply* disturbing details of his life as a war slave, but also the difficulties of starting a new life in America. In addition, he clearly portrayed the bizarro-ness of life as a celebrity, as opposed to the life he lived in his homeland. The reader gets a real sense of the isolation he must have felt, even after his successes in America. All this, along with his spiritual beliefs in karma, which helped him explain some of the madness, make this a beautiful and haunting story. By the way, reading this will make you want to see 'The Killing Fields' again, just to see his performance one more time. It's clear that this memoir served in part as a therapeutic device for him personally, but it's also a truly inspiring book for anyone to read. Reading about his journey was weirdly prophetic, bittersweet and sad because ten years after this book was published, Ngor was killed in a senseless act of violence in L.A.

This book was my first exposure to what had happened in Cambodia. I saw a man go through a typical childhood for his class abnd become a doctor and meet the woman of his dreams. His life was perfect. Then on April 17,1975 it all came crashing down. He and the rest of his family were plunged into some of the worst conditions to ever exist in history. He survived almost his whole family. Then, he had the courage to show the whole world what had happened to his people. Sadly, this man was killed in a "random" murder in his home in LA. We promised the survivors of the Holocaust that we'd never let it happen again, but we did in Cambodia. Read this book and see why again we must try and keep it from happening ever again.

This is an outstanding portrait of a man who survived the barbaric reign of terror of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Anyone who has seen the movie "The Killing Fields" has a cursory understanding of the Khmer Rouge and their attempt to transform Cambodian society during their control of the country from 1975 to 1979. However, this film omitted most of the astounding atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge as anyone who has visited Tuol Sleng S-21 in Phnom Penh (as I have) can tell you. In this book Dr. Ngor relates his horrifying experiences of life under the Khmer Rouge in detail and in the process educates the reader as to just how horrible an existence it really was.

This book is remarkable because of the detail related by Dr. Ngor and the personal nature of its content. Many Cambodians to this day will not talk about his period in their lives. For many, the mental and physical abuse they suffered during this period was too painful to re-live ever again. As I read this book, I could not help but wonder how Dr. Ngor was able to keep himself together.

Dr. Ngor effectively puts the period of Khmer Rouge rule in historical context by explaining the historical events and forces which led to their capture of the country. These events and forces included the People's Republic of China, North Vietnam, the Vietnam War, the United States, and of course, the C.I.A.

I admire Dr. Ngor for his extraordinary courage, and I regret that I did not have the opportunity to meet him during his lifetime. May he rest in peace.

I'm heading to Bali this month and this book provided a great intro to the customs and nature of this island. I'm even more excited to get there after reading it.

I am Balinese and live in Ubud, about 10 minutes walk from where Colin McPhee stayed, when he came to Bali in 1931. My aunt worked for him.

He heard a record of gamelan music in New York and couldn't wait to get to Bali to listen to the real thing.

He stayed in Bali for almost 8 years and set about documenting gamelan music. Much of his research was carried out in a village near Ubud where my Villas are. There are still old people in the village who remember him.

His book is beautifully written and tells stories of his adventures and life in the village and his encounters with the local Balinese. It's not necessary to understand technical music matters to enjoy this book - it is totally accessible.

Highly recommended.

I first heard Gamelan was coming out of the oldest temple on the Island of Bali, near Ubud, and was reading this book at the time. I purchased the book at the Jakarta airport and was hooked by the first paragraph. I think that this is a wonderful, insight into the island, the music, it's people and culture. If you have a love for exotic music and or artform, this historical work is a captivating read. My only regret is that Colin McPhee never went back to his beloved Bali.

It's a very interesting book in regards to what I have actually read. It seems to have accounts on Balinese culture. I found it enjoyable and interesting to read because it not only talks about Balinese culture but about the conflict and clashes within the village like the little dancer named Sampih and his dance teacher Nyoman Kaler.

Colin McPhee conveys many interesting things like when bad luck happened in his home in Sayan and how they had to do a purification ceremony in regards to dispel the demons, witches and evil spirits. His wanderings in Bali to record music and study their music like the rare gamelan angklung and gamelan selonding from Tenganan who were the Bali Aga. Colin McPhee was drawn to the scintallinating sounds and metallic shimmer from the gamelan. At times there are humours accounts of what goes on between him and his friends that happen in the village or when they are touring around Bali. I found it enjoyable because, he seemed to have fitted in well with the Balinese people without too much problems compared with other writers before them spoke of barbarity and the animal like behaviour of the Balinese at certain functions. He writes with passion about what goes on and how things have changed with the colonial rule of the Dutch. The loss of autonomy by the Rajas who were reduced to poverty at times and how their obessions with cockfighting led to their ruin. Yet in times of despair and hardship they are always humble to him.

Overall the book contains a few photographs of his friends and colleagues. I found it wonderful and intriguing and as well as captiviting at times which he covers so many topics like the temple functions like Galungan, Wayang Kulit (Shadow Plays), the music club etc... This book you will grow to love like the book written by Miguel Corrovabias "Island of Bali".

Even as the art & tradition of classical gamelan music fades in Java, gamelans are built & organized in America & Europe, the music is studied & taught in universities. This has occurred since the 70's, when recordings of gamelan music became widely available, particularly in a major series on Nonesuch Explorer. For many people, hearing gamelan for the first time is not only a delightfully exotic experience, the music unlike anything one has heard, but there is often also a strange shock of recognition, as if one somehow already knew the music, although where & how remains a mystery. Perhaps this is what happened to Colin McPhee. For McPhee in 1930, as for so many western musicians since, hearing gamelan inspired something like a religious conversion.

I was given an old copy of this book shortly after I heard gamelan for the first time, & so I was able to follow McPhee on his great adventure to find where the music came from. When he arrived in Bali, he discovered that although the culture was vibrantly alive, much of music was in danger of being lost. He met, befriended, & studied with some greatly talented Balinese musicians, old masters & several younger composers & leaders, including Wayan Lotring & Made Lebah. They set about restoring a Semar Pegulingan gamelan. The task of bringing this music back to life is the "plot" of the "A House In Bali." McPhee quickly realized that his western musical training was of limited value, because the "values" of music - technically & culturally - in Bali were so different. Music had popular, ritual, & concert functions, as in the West. But the music was inseparable from the instruments, & each collection of instruments - each gamelan, was unique. Compositions were learned by rote, in phrases, with the gamelan functioning as a kind of all-ages social club for men. McPhee had to become, as best he could, a person of Bali, a villager, someone with a place & a role in the life of the community. He recounts his immersion in Balinese life, As strange as Bali was for McPhee, he was the "stranger," the outsider, & he remained one, oddly indifferent to what the Balinese thought of his lifestyle. Most inexplicably, he seems not to have become a gamelan musician. One wonders not only how he resisted this experience, but also why?

McPhee later attempted to translate Balinese music into a western idiom using pianos & a symphony orchestra, with beautiful results, but losing what he had learned in the process, Sadly, when he returned home, he had left the most important stuff behind.

Appachana does an excellent job of bringing India to life in these stories. Her ear for dialouge is so acute that I could literally hear the characters talking, thinking, etc. If you like literary short stories, these are wonderful.

This book of short stories is absolutely excellent. The main theme is the compromises that we make to continue to live in within society's standards. They are everyday scenarios taking place in India or Canada. There is a strong feminist slant in this collection, which is definitely refreshing from the other more traditional stories that I've read. However, there is a price for being liberated, especially in India. The two Sharmaji stories are quite entertaining and the issue of expectations becoming inflating as a result of an unionized environment definitely isn't unique to India. I'm looking forward to reading Ms. Appachana's other book.

As I read Ms. Appachana's work, I was constantly reminded of how things were and still are back home. For me, there was no drowning myself in fiction - the characters were real enough to touch and smell (surely every Indian is aware of a Sharmaji!). There was no unnecessary drama - no unchartered territory to explore - no special messages to convey. Such genuine depiction of character and events, free of frivolous mentions, stands dignified in its own accord.

There are not enough words to express the excellence of this book. I have read many books by Indian authors, but not one of them has depicted life as vidvidly and honestly as this author. Her stories speak of the lives of the common person, the hypocracies, the trajedies, the compromises made just to continue living. She even gets the dialect right when portraying different characters and their form of speech. Anyone who is South Asian can relate to the experiences of her characters, and for everyone else, this is life in South Asia.

Appachana does a wonderful job of getting her points across without being preachy. The stories touch on many issues, mainly of gender inequality, but also of class, caste, and other social issues. She shows these issues through the eyes of her wonderfully portrayed charactors very effectively. Although her writing style is excellent, I found it a little flowery for my personal taste. Many of the stories were extremely moving, some even left me in tears. This book is definately worth reading, whether or not you know anything about India.

Since this is written much as a diary of a young WW2 fighter pilot there are some sections that, like life, are a little tedious. That fact aside I found Mr. Lopez's work an interesting and inciteful view of the famous Flying Tiger unit after it was absorbed into the Army Air Force after the US officially entered the war. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in the China theater of the war and how it was used to get the Japanese to attack us and get us involved in WW2. The vivid air combat descriptions are great insights into what pilots of that era were up against as opposed to the "video game-like" air battles of today.

Haven't read a pilot's memoirs for quite a while, although doing much more of it now. Into the Teeth of the Tiger was the first of a long line of new purchases that I need to read and it was well worth the purchase. Mr Lopez, while an excellent flier and leader, is also a wonderful writer. He writes with modesty and is not afraid to describe his errors in addition to his successes. The action sequences are superb and the humour used by the pilots and crews to lighten things up a bit is guaranteed to generate a smile and even a chuckle. Of course, this is war and the deaths of friends and the treatment of the civilian population was no doubt shattering for all involved. I get the impression that this book has become somewhat of a classic and justly so. It is a well-written account of a less publicised theatre of the war by a (then) very young pilot. What these guys did at 20-25 really puts things into perspective. A bloody good read!

I've read a lot of World War II flying book and this is the best! Mr. Lopez writes well and tells the unvarnished truth of what it was like to fly a P-40 against an agile and determined foe.

Don Lopez was a 23-year-old fighter pilot in the 14th Air Force Flying Tigers, flying a war-weary P-40 against the Japanese army air force in such close combat that he once took a wing off a Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa ("Oscar"). Good pilots are easy to find, and so are good writers, but Don is that exceptional individual: a pilot who can write well and to the heart. This book is a keeper.

This is an engrossing story of a young fighter pilot's experiences flying P-40s and P-51s in mid to late World War Two with the 75th Fighter Squadron in China. Donald Lopez writes excellent flying sequences and conveys the essence of the people he flew and fought with. A good read if you have any interest in military history or aviation.

I would give this book more than 5 stars if possible. Wisconsin high school teacher James R. Ebert does a masterful job as he combines interviews and printed primary sources in this remarkable telling of the infantryman's experience during the Vietnam War. Ebert tells the story of the US Army and a few US Marine infantrymen during the Vietnam War. He takes their story from induction into the service through basic and advanced individual training, arrival in Vietnam, their first combat experiences, the first killed in action they experience, in some cases the soldier's death, and the freedom birds that take them back to the world. Ebert points out while infantryman accounted for less than 10% of the American troops in Vietnam, the infantry suffered more than 80% of the losses.

Ebert uses an interesting technique starting every chapter with a letter by Leonard Dutcher to his parents. Dutcher just wanted to do his part for God and country and go home at the end of his tour. In the last chapter, we find out that Dutcher was killed. It caught me off guard and really added to the impact of the book. Ebert takes many of the soldiers and Marines experiences word for word from the individual himself through interviews or letters. It is a collective look at similarities of the many infantry soldiers and Marines in the war. It is a very personal account from many points of view.

This is an important book in Vietnam War literature. This is what the grunts really went through. I was left with somewhat of feeling of guilt from reading the book. Why? I graduated high school in 1971. Some of my high classmates went to Vietnam and fought. My classmate Everett Maxwell was killed in action. I went to college and was ultimately commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry, went through airborne school and served three years active duty. My becoming an officer deferred my entry on active duty from 1971 to 1975. This is the reason for my reflective thoughts.

Read and reviewed by Jimmie A. Kepler.

This is the best book by far. You get to "meet" these boys from the very beginning of their military life all the way through their hell in Vietnam. You can't help but get attached and you're cheering them on in the most horrible of circumstances. I watched the war on TV every night back then and didn't realize how much more brutal it really was. This book will open your eyes and give you a newfound respect for these teenagers caught up in one of America's worst & bloodiest wars. These are the heros that were never given a "Welcome Home". It's a must read...it will change your life.

Do you want to understand what a grunt went through in vietnam?
Then read this book. By far the best book that I have read on the Vietnam War. After reading this book, every American should thank the Vietnam Veteran for their service to our Nation.

When I first started researching the Vietman war, I happened to come across this book at the library--exactly what I was looking for since I wanted to understand the individual experience of the infantryman. I had been warned by veterans that a lot of inaccurate books were out there, and since the writer's credentials were simply that he was a high school teacher, I first read it with a somewhat skeptical eye. As I continued to read memoirs and histories and speak with veterans, though, I also kept coming back to this book. Finally I just broke down and bought it. Though I've only spot read various passages throughout the book, it is even-handed, always rings true, is consistent with other information I've gotten, and offers factual information to set things in context (I wish there were a little more of that). Ebert has done a great job getting vets to talk--not always easy--now maybe he should create an updated edition to flesh out the coming home aspects. I hope this author still teaches high school.

When I first started researching the Vietman war, I happened to come across this book at the library--exactly what I was looking for since I wanted to understand the individual experience of the infantryman. I had been warned by veterans that a lot of inaccurate books were out there, and since the writer's credentials were simply that he was a high school teacher, I first read it with a somewhat skeptical eye. As I continued to read memoirs and histories and speak with veterans, though, I also kept coming back to this book. Finally I just broke down and bought it. Though I've only spot read various passages throughout the book, it is even-handed, always rings true, is consistent with other information I've gotten, and offers factual information to set things in context (I wish there was a little more of that). Ebert has done a great job getting vets to talk--not always easy--now maybe he should create an updated edition to flesh out the coming home aspects. I hope this author still teaches high school.

In my haste I incorrectly wrote Saipan....I meant to write Peleliu

James Johnston gave a vivid, poignant and heroic account of his life with the Marines fighting in the Pacific during World War II. It was fascinating to read how it life was for the Marines in the Pacific as like he said, the media tended to focus on the European theater and thought of the Pacific theater as "easy."

Using letters that he wrote home, Johnston managed to add a personal touch to his account. It was interesting to get a glimpse on how he felt emotionally, the friendship that was formed between the soldiers and how a lot of times, soldiers are fighting as hard as they did, for their friends because they did not want to let their them down. When Johnston was the section leader, he was able to show the burden of responsibilities as you were not just in charge of your life but of others too.
Lastly, how he was disappointed with the Marines. He found flaws with the system but at the same time, it was very much part of him.

"The Long Road of War" is a wonderfully-written, highly-emotional story of Marine Corps combat from the "flat-trajectory" soldier's perspective. Johnston shares his own personal horrific views of World War II Pacfic combat. With stirring text, he shows the sudden transformation from Nebraska teenager to Green recruit to hardened veteran. This book is an excellent addition to any historian's bookshelf, once they can find the time to put it down.

In my haste I incorrectly wrote Saipan....I meant to write Peleliu

This was a book that I could absolutely not put down. Mr. Johnston's description of his transition from a Midwest teenager into a battle hardened, front line Marine is told with a grim honesty that is seldom found in books about war. This book does away with any glorification or self-promotion and gives you the tragic, ugly truth about the war in the South Pacific.

I think Myanmar is a beautiful country. The Lonely Planet series is great. However, by going to Myanmar you are supporting an oppressive government that kills innocent people for purely sadistic reasons. I hope you will not visit the country nor buy this book until a democratic regime is installed there.

This is about the best book available on Myanmar that I know of. I used it extensively.

Problems include the hotels in Yangon that are listed. There are several that are very nice and about $30. US that are not listed.

There's a brand new airport in Yangon and new capitol city. Both are missing as far as I can tell.

Like all travel books, it's outdated when it comes off the press. It is quite good overall however.

An excellent book and take the advice. Myanmar is a cash-only society. You cannot use credit cards anywhere and there are not any ATM's anywhere in the country. Also, your currency must be new and without folds or marks.
The book's advice on Yangon was wonderful!

We recently visited Myanmar, and used the Lonely Planet guide extensively to research our trip, and while there to help us get around. It is by far the best English language guide for Burma we could find, and was extremely detailed and helpful. Using Lonely Planet certainly enhanced this travel experience.

There is no other guide which comes close to being as useful for visiting Burma, either as a first-time tourist or an veteran traveller. Its overall descriptions, information on transport, reviews of hotels etc are all generally reliable and up-to-date. The accounts of restarants in Rangoon however is probably somewhat dated, as the restaurant scene in Rangoon changes quickly and there are many new restaurants today (more than a year and half since publication) which are not mentioned.

I would recommend reading The River of Lost Footsteps by Thant Myint-U for an excellent and entertaining history of the country, either before going or during your trip. The LP Myanmar and The River of Lost Footsteps are the only two books you'll need.

I am so impressed with Badshah Khan to the point of being overwhelmed with admiration. One reason is his breadth of vision and his tolerance. At one point Gandhi asked Khan if his English sister-in-law had become a Muslim, and Abdul Ghaffar Khan replied that he did not know: "Why should not a husband and wife adhere each to their respective faiths?" (p.145) I long for this kind of tolerance in the world!

The book is an amazing story of success and failure. Khan and Gandhi succeeded nonviolently in bringing independence to India. The failure lies in the facts that: 1) Neither one of them wanted to see the partitioning in to two nations, 2) their dreams of a united Hindu-Islamic nation turned into a nightmare, 3) they both envisioned a nonviolent nation and that has turned out to be a far-fetched notion. Yet, Khan & Gandhi proved that non-violence can work, as proven again by Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela.

As the author notes, probably no other leader suffered so much for the cause of peace and nonviolence as did Khan. No, not even Gandhi or even Mandela. I think we have in this book the profile of THE most amazing man in world history!! And the fact is that he is probably known by far less than one percent of the world's population.

I love everything Eknath Easwaran writes and this book exceeded my expectations. The stories and information are priceless - buy this book if you want to know about the life of Badshah Khan.

I request customers and other visitors to read the article by Arif H. Akhunzada titled "Bacha Khan legacy is Questionable" with caution because in Pakistan objective interpretation and description of history is mostly marred by the official stand on history enshrined in the so-called "Pakistan Ideology".

Pakistan Ideology i.e. the Idea that sparked the struggle for Pakistan is a highly communal, theocratic, and Pan-Islamist view of history that considers the people of the Subcontinent to be divided into two religious communities-Hindus and Muslims-with entirely different ways of life and very little in common to live in a single state or society. According to this ideology, the Idea of Pakistan was born when the first Arab Muslim invader i.e. Mohammad Bin Qasim invaded India (Sindh) and converted some of its inhabitants to Islam.

This divisive and jingoistic philosophy very well serves the interests of the military bureaucracy that has been ruling Pakistan since inception and the allied religious and fudal classess.

As Abdul Ghaffar Khan aka Bacha Khan espoused a non-communal approach to life in which the highest spiritual act and worship was the "service of humanity" irrespective of religious affiliation and practically upheld what he thought as the true purpose of life ( evident from his personal life and joint struggle with Hindus, Sikhs, etc. for freedom), he, therefore, is an anathema to Pakistani national elite. This elite, through a systematic campaign, has tried its best to malign Abdul Ghaffar Khan, mispresent him to the world and his own people i.e. Pashtuns, make him controversial, and permanently erase him from history and the memories of the successive generation of Pashtuns. These elite want Pashtun society to evolve the Taleban way.

There is also another dimension to all this. The political, bureaucratic, economic, and intellectual elite of Pakistan predominently comes from two communities; Punjabis and Muhajirs. The other three communities of Pakistan i.e. Sindhis, Baluchis, and Pashtuns have only peripheral rule in Pakistan. The Punjabi-Muhajir elite wants to build a Pakistani nation based on Islam and Hindustani Muslim Culture. Therefore, any thing that gives these marginalized communities (i.e. Baluchis, Pashtuns, and Sindhis) a sense of identity, pride, self-esteem, and confidence is virtually unbearable for the Punjabi-Muhajir elite that dominate Pakistan.

I will request the world not to forget Bacha Khan. The values and the view of life he upheld are eternal and humanistic. His legacy belongs to the entire humanity rather than a specific community. As a Pashtun, I believe that my people i.e. Pashtuns can achieve spiritual and material success only if they follow Bacha Khan's philosophy of non-voilence and peaceful struggle for personal and collective development. Unfortunately, initially British and later Pakistani state ruthlessly suppressed his movement and philosophy. The politics of the Cold War, in which radical Islam and Jehad were used as counter to communism, also have its share in weakening Bacha Khan's "Khudayi Khidmatgar Movement".

I will further request that readers should read anthropological studies on Pashtuns than relying on superficial views about them here and there.

This is a sweeping portrait of Badshah Khan, a courageous Muslim figure. I felt inspired as I read this touching work, though I wanted more.
I wish that Khan's autobiography, My Life and Struggles would be more readily available. Also, a more detailed biography would be helpful. This book is wonderful as an overview but one who wants to dive deeper should investigate further.
This book is an excellent introduction to Badshah Khan. It shows how one can use the bismillah (in the name of God the infinitly compassionate and merciful) as a means to internalize compassion and mercy in ourselves. This is the core of Islam and of the utmost importance today.

All the Amazon reviews for this book below perceive Abdul Ghaffar Khan superficially, only from the angle of the non-violent doctrine and rural Islamic philosophy he preached, rather than any practical political accomplishments and impact on history and his society that may have been made by him - or the lack thereof. High ideals are fine, except that they are a little ephemeral as far as practical reality is concerned - unless they help achieve something effective and concrete. And sadly this is what this otherwise good and simple man failed to do. Living in the same society as he did, I will focus on him from the angle of Pashtun social realities and issues, unlike the other foreign reviewers who are just content with the usual wishy-washy praise of his non-violent Islamic ideals. It must also be kept in mind that Eknath Easwaran is a pacifist Hindu thinker, and so has written this book mainly from the viewpoint of highlighting his pacifist aspect above all else. Which is true, since Ghaffar Khan's pacifism was largely Hindu inspired, but for Pashtuns he is basically a politician and cultural figure, and pacifism is just a facet of his character, albeit a key one. 20th century Pashtun political history is an obscure issue but still crucially important, inspite of its failed and forlorn character. I consider this book as perhaps the most useful introduction so far for the foreign reader, of the man at the centre of it - and I rate it at five stars because there are only a handful of books worth the name on the international level that deal with his doings, and this one is about the story of the man himself. Ghaffar Khan aka Badshah (or Bacha) Khan was a towering figure mainly because of his personal qualities of head and heart - infinite patience, steely determination and simplicity. He himself belonged to the Hunnish origin "Khan" Pashtun landowning class. He is acclaimed by most Pathans (Pashtuns) as being the father of their "nationalism". He founded a simple rural political-cum-cultural-cum-religious movement in the countryside to "dignify" Pashtuns and their culture and language and free them from first British and then Pakistani rule. They were known as "Red Shirts", the name being derived from their uniformed cadres and were first affiliated politically with the All India National Congress of M.K.Gandhi and later merged into and then broke with many other Pakistani groupings (when they couldn't dominate them). They were finally turned into a formal political structure of their own by 1986, which came to be dominated by his late son and daughter-in-law, and is now very much their family concern, a "lucrative" political party in the hands of his grandchildren and their in-laws and other cronies. They now use his image and "philosophy" to keep their fortunes alive. He was the key regional ally of Gandhi in his non-violent independence struggle for India. His position on Pakistan was varied and inconsistent. He had earlier tried vainly to oppose the dissolution of the Turkish Caliphate in the 1920s. All these activities earned him long spells in jail. But his anti-British stance didn't stop him from getting his sons elitist British educations and properties in Britain, as well as good political positions and alliances in later Pakistani governments.

Let us now review Badshah Khan's accomplishments - and those of his successors - for those are what really count in the historical long run. What is there visible to us that he has achieved for his people through his struggle and philosophy? Nothing but a vague demand for some sort of a "Pashtun nation" of sorts that even its proponents very conveniently refrain from defining exactly - and some sort of "unity" for the Pashtun ethnicity divided between Afghanistan and Pakistan. That was never really elaborated upon either. First of all, he desired Pashtun political union with India, after it became independent; later, he toned that down and would give the impression of wanting total Pashtun independence; otherwise, he would only demand Pashtun provincial autonomy within Pakistan; and many a time, he swore fealty to Pakistan's integrity! He is also known for his advocacy of Afghanistan as the "real" Pashtun state, and that is where he now lies buried. In the end, he merely wanted to change Pakistan's Pashtun province's name from NWFP to the more realistic "Pakhtunkhwa". That was the nature of his ever efflusive politics. No doubt he talked about some vague Pashtun independence and national self-determination, but avoided really important issues like improving and reforming their cultural quality. Otherwise he was just a popular rustic social figure, wearing the rude homespun cotton garb of a village simpleton who gave his society nothing of particular merit other than going around from village to village drinking green tea with the men and extolling the virtues of rustic Pashtun goodness and their good old rough Red Shirt camaraderie. Now let us see what effect this influence of his has had. When we look at the Pashtun society in 2006 and compare it to what it was in 1930 - at the height of his movement - we see no real changes in it at all: their dirty mud caked village roads and stinking ramshackle bazaars are the same, their rich, exploitative landowning upper and noveau riche classes, who use their educational skills and government jobs to enable their legendary corruption, plunder and pelf (and who are the local comprador dependents of US global imperialism) - are the same; the great masses of the Pathan populace are boorish vicious tribesmen and illiterate peasant artisans, cultivators and daily wagers, little better than animals in any respect, going around swathed in their rough stone age felt sheets and caps and turbans, working with much the same equipment in their fields as they did 3000 years ago in the days of their Gandhara predecessors, and living likewise: the open drains by the roadside and walls serve as the men's public urinals. The only notable differences between Gandhara and now are that there are some dilapidated roads, vehicles, electricity and various other trappings of modernity that were introduced here by British influence; and lately Pashtuns have been inundated with cell phones, in an unnatural and despicable mix that I call "neolithic globalism" - and Badshah Khan or his marvellous legacy are certainly not responsible for that. (It is because of the folly and misdemeanours of the modern world that we see the likes of backward Bedouin sheikhs sporting chunky Rolex watches and Rolls Royces, and medieval Pathan ruffians of all hues - and other such "natives" - having undeserved free access to the latest electronic gadgets and vehicles, and taking them for granted. Sad paradoxes indeed). The modern state institutions that exist in the Pashtun areas under Pakistani rule are those bequeathed by former British rule, and they exist merely as a modern verneer beneath which things go on here as they have been doing for thousands of years. With these institutions existing just as rubberstamps, the real decision making power lies with informally constituted tribal councils made up of "elders" and "influentials" and "notables" at the local level, extending all the way up. Bribery, patronage and coercion and are considered normal business procedure. Nobody pays taxes, and smuggling constitutes trade. Gun running, narcotics and counterfeiting are traditional lucrative sources of income here. Merit doesn't exist. People tend to settle all disputes personally owing to police and government ineffectiveness in such a society, and given the extreme and proud Pashtun temperament - often end up using guns whatever the nature of the problem. Grasping, greed, jealousy and lawless behaviour are customarily extolled as being "manly". "Insults" have to be avenged - often by death - and so many things are regarded as insults, that normal people elsewhere can't even imagine: for instance, asking someone to remove his car parked wrongly behind yours can be regarded by him as insulting, and among most Pashtuns in general such incidents are the norm because of their lack of adherence to and cynical disregard for proper procedure and manners is so universal as they haughtily dismiss all such procedural "fuss" as being beneath strong, clever men. Even someone overtaking another person's car is often regarded by the one being overtaken as an insult... Pashtun fracticide, treachery and tribal disunity are unparalleled and legendary. Extreme religious fervour has always been the norm in this claustrophobic society. Its conventions are extolled and enforced ruthlessly. Marriages are all arranged. Women are still bought and sold in marriage deals. Polygamy is considered normal and even a prestigious aspiration. Pashtun society is infamous for its sub-human and extreme cultural attitudes regarding its women and their rights. Afghan tribesmen use the Pashto word "kaddah" for wife which literally means "baggage" or "belongings". Women are made the cornerstone of a twisted all-pervasive male "code" of feudal-tribal "honour" that rules day to day Pashtun living, involving senseless butchery, blood feuds, duels and land and money grabbing. What is more, the women willingly and "proudly" accept their place in all this too, may I inform those shocked western and other liberals who read this! (After all, it is they who make sure to pass on these noxious traditions to their sons).

In short, Pashtun society is a lowlife jungle society in every sense of the word, at a time in history when all should know and do better. It is stuck in a time warp. All this is what Badshah Khan (and now his brood) endorsed and glorified as the "Pashtun nation's precious cultural identity", a situation to protect and be proud of. His non-violence was mostly a tactic for political activities against the British, and later the Pakistani administrations. And not all of this was non-violent either, if one cares to read about the Qissa Khwani Bazaar massacre of 1930 and the Baburra massacre of 1948, where he got hundreds of his uniformed cadres slaughtered as they were preparing for confrontations. No doubt the reader will come across gushing, over-reverent Pashtun views regarding him. (An example is a Pashtun's Amazon review for the 1998 edition of this book, on a separate webpage). But these are worthless tinsel, the bombastic rigmarole typical of the blustery and exaggerated Pathan mentality and "public morality" that they show to others, especially foreigners. You can ask me instead about what Badshah Khan & Co. accomplished. I belong to the same provincial district as the Badshah Khan family, called Charsadda, and my family is even distantly related to theirs.

So honestly, what did this man achieve in his society that merits such a fuss? His successors are nowadays typical Pakistani politicians, who run an opportunist business venture of a party devoted to robbery and thuggery. That is what characterises Pakistani politics nowadays. Not only have things not changed in Pashtun society, but they have in fact taken a turn for the worse since America revived and equipped Islamic fundamentalism here to counter the USSR in the 1980s. Whatever little cosmetic good 100 years of British rule did the Pashtuns in Pakistan has now been effectively wiped out by that. Badshah Khan could not give his people what their British "oppressors" had given them, and he merely created a cheap circus troupe, a cheerleading carnival performing in red uniforms for the benefit of bored peasants and later, corrupt politicians. Although he himself definitely had a strong character, with a deep sense of genuine personal committment and he suffered greatly for his rustic nationalist causes, that alone amounts to nothing on the real level as he had nothing significant to offer and improve his society with other than calling for some ephemeral nationalist unity based on a decidedly decrepit culture. If Pathans honestly realise that, then there might be some hope for change in their dark lot. If not, then they should happily keep Badshah Khan as their icon along with their pathological, medieval state of being for as long as they exist. It is indeed sad to see how the exaltation of the lowest common denominator factor pervades all affairs of life globally nowadays - whether that means praising rarified ideals, or eulogising inferior and bad culture among other things. After 9/11, these negative potentials become very clear indeed.