TJ Kelly's DMZ Diary is a stunning account of his Vietnam service. Kelly writes with honesty and intelligence, allowing readers to accompany him on his journeys into combat with his fellow Marines. Kelly recalls stories of heroism and horror from Vietnam that will move the most jaded military historian. His stories of life away from combat provide humour and relief from the ever-present tension of the war. In DMZ Diary the author reveals his transformation from a gung-ho new guy to a seasoned veteran. The story of this transformation is an important addition to the history of the American experience in Vietnam.

I'm planning a trip to Singapore this summer for an internship and was required to purchase this book as part of course material. I must say that I think this is an excellent book. It doesn't get too in depth (which is good for my purpose) and touches on many aspects of Singapore. It gives some history of the country; it tells about the people who live there and the do's and don't(s) of each of their cultures (chinese, malaysian, indian) in terms of business and family life; it tells about aspects of doing business and even serves as a mini guidebook in the last chapter. It gives info on finding living quarters, maids, and what to expect if you were to live there. Also, it has lists of useful addresses, to include: Accounting & tax services, banks (American), medical services, hotels, housing agents, language schools, restaurants (broken down into ethnic categories), government agencies (to include US as well), and many others. I usually don't go on and on about how good a book is, but this book really helped me, plus, it's short and an easy read. If your thinking about it, it's worth the money.

The dramatic, smart-as-a-tack, compassionate Vietnam War memoir by the man who would, years later, be kidnapped by Colombian guerrillas and write LONG MARCH TO FREEDOM, his own account of his highly publicized captivity and release. Get both books. Hargrove is a warrior who cares about the starving millions, who has risked his life for them and who writes memoirs as gripping as good novels.

Black and white and color maps accompany extensive text references in this survey of early maps of Southeast Asia. While this might prove a very specific guide for Asian collections, cartography and art libraries will also want to consider its value: Suarez provides an excellent history of the region and its geographical importance, examining the history of its representation and exploration.

East Of Tien Shan: Unforgettable Journeys Into China's Ancient Past & Present, cultural anthropologist and documentary film producer S.Z. Ahmed presents a appealing compendium of travelogues through the lands, cultures, and histories of China. The reader is treated to vivid travelogue descriptions of journeys to Shanghai, Beijing, and Lanzhou; Xinjian; Yunnan and Sichuan; Dungbie; Nei Mongol; Jehol; and the Enchanted Misty Mountains. Enthusiastically recommended reading for students of Chinese history and culture, as well as the armchair traveler seeking fascinating accounts of distant lands, East Of Tien Shan is enhanced with a chronology, index, and maps.

This book has valuable information on various aspects of these 2 regions, and is among the best in the series.
I personally found the fauna checklists, detailed island by island, particularly interesting and hard to find elsewhere.

Six years in compilation, Franklin Huffman and Im Proum's English-Khmer 690 page dictionary is really a must-have for any English speaker who prepares Khmer language material. The work includes 40,000 English entries and subentries, cleverly organized to reflect the semantic structure of both English and Khmer. An example from the introduction explains why the English verb "to carry" requires 37 subentries. This is a desk dictionary. The printing is crisp. Re-prints are found in markets throughout Cambodia, so the work is evidently of considerable utility to native Khmer speakers. Newer dictionaries have started to appear in Cambodia since 1992, but none can match Huffman and Proum.

Charito Planas fled the Philippines to the U.S. after being imprisoned under the Marcos regime. In the U.S. she was an outspoken critic of human rights abuses and of U.S. military and economic support for Marcos. She crossed the country numerous times to mobilize opposition and testified before Congress in the first hearings held on the U.S. military bases in the Philippines during the Marcos era. This is an important document in the histories of the Marcos era and the U.S.-based solidarity movements it inspired.

delving into the successes brought on by the most eminent enterpreneurial minorities, daniel chirot and anthony reid compile interesting accounts of the hardships faced by the chinese and jews settling in foreign communities. consequently, the editors offer a book which is more than a tedious and detailed narrative; rather, chirot and reid give a rich, sensitive and sympathetic blend of history and personal stories, portraying these "outsiders" with the respect they richly deserve.

I felt the book provides an excellent exposure to the first time learner. The book is structured well with sections outlining the use of the language on a day to day situations, such as shopping eating out travelling etc.

The book avoids the need to learn long and tedious list of words and phrases.

I visited Indonesia shortly after recieving the book, I could travel quite independently without having concerns about communicating.