Contexts - The Rough Guide to Myanmar - page 528

the entire book, with the authors launching a series of broadsides against a wide range of re-
ceived historical and political opinions - everything from Mon influence at Bagan through
to the military's renaming of the country and transfer of the capital to Naypyitaw. An often
interesting read, although the final chapter is little more than government propaganda.
Michael W. Charney A History of Modern Burma . Covering the period from 1886 to 2008,
thisbookprovidesausefulcontinuationto ThantMyint-U ' shistory.Fullofinterestingdetail,
and particularly good on the post-1962 period.
Thant Myint-U The Making of Modern Burma . Microscopic examination of the history of
Myanmar between the latter days of the Konbaung dynasty and the establishment of nation-
wideBritishrule.ThantMyint-U'sunravellingoftheintricatesocialandeconomicstructures
of Myanmar under kings Mindon and Thibaw is an academic tour de force , while accounts
of the Machiavellian intrigues, infighting and palace coups at the royal court add welcome
spice.
Thant Myint-U The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma . Easily the
best general introduction to the history of Myanmar, Thant Myint-U's superb “personal his-
tory”coversthecountryfromancienttimestothepresent,combiningexemplaryscholarship,
vivid prose and razor-sharp insights into a superbly readable and informative whole.
MEMOIRS
David V. Donnison Last of the Guardians: A Story of Burma, Britain and a Family. Enjoy-
ableportraitoflifeincolonial Burmabetween1923andWorldWarII,basedonthememoirs
of Donnison's parents.
James Mawdsley The Heart Must Break: The Fight for Democracy and Truth in Burma .
Gripping account of British activist James Mawdsley's fight for democracy in Myanmar and
his fourteen months spent in jail there in 1999-2000.
Pascal Khoo Thwe From The Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey . Lyrical memoir
describing the author's boyhood in a remote Padaung village, his years as a rebel guerrilla
fighter in the 1990s and, eventually, his escape to Europe and graduation from Cambridge
University. An unrivalled portrait of life among Myanmar's repressed minorities.
Zoya Phan Little Daughter: A Memoir of Survival in Burma and the West. Simple but af-
fecting memoir by Kayin refugee Zoya Phan describing her family's flight from their native
village in 1994 and the following two years spent dodging Burmese armed forces, before her
eventual escape to Thailand and the West.
MISCELLANEOUS
NaomiDuguid Burma: River of Flavors. Thisattractivecookbookprovidesagoodintroduc-
tion to Burmese cuisine, with solid coverage of basic ingredients and cooking techniques as
well as recipes, plus lovely photos of the country to boot.