Burma's Lost Kingdoms: Splendors of Arakan by Pamela Gutman, Zaw Min Yu (Photographer) is an interesting account of a kingdom once located on the Eastern parts of the Bay of Benghal, which today forms a part of Burma (Myanmar). The Buddhist architecture of Arakan may strike one at first as too basic and simple, but on closer inspection brings one to appreciate the purity as well as the functionality of the design. In some instances, the fortress-like temples and stupas apparently also served as actual fortifications. In addition, the Arakan period offers some of the more excellent interpretations and unique styles of Buddha sculptures found in South-east Asia. Drawbacks: I would have expected to see much much more of the excellent photography of Mr. Zaw Min Yu; in addition, for those who judge the outside appearances the outer jacket and cover of the book are somewhat disappointing and call for a more precise thoroughness. Overall: a 3-star rating but nevertheless a worthwhile addition to your South-east Asia library.

Even for the most dedicated students of Southeast Asian History and Art History Arakan has remained something of a mystery. Until now little has been written about this vital link between India and mainland Southeast Asia. With this book this gap has been overcome and in clear prose, supplemented by first-class photos, Pamela Gutman has given us an extremely valuable account of the rise and fall of Arakan--one of 'Burma's lost kingdoms.'

It is a major contribution to our knowledge and thoroughly recommended to anyone with an interest in Southeast Asian art as well as the region's early history.

This book is a work of considerable erudition and depth on the historical dimension of classical Tibetan. It may be of great interest to anyone who already has a sound knowledge of the classical Tibetan language, but any potential buyer should be aware of what it is not. It is NOT an introduction to the classical Tibetan language. It is NOT a Tibetan grammar. As a matter of fact, the only Tibetan characters you will find in this books are in tables reproducing classical texts. All the textual examples are transliterated into Latin characters, which I personally find very irritating. For anyone interested in learning classical Tibetan the most appropriate first buy is, in my opinion, Wilson's "Translating Buddhism from Tibetan".

It's not a typical grammar text. It won't give you prescriptive rules and exercises and it doesn't try to force Tibetan into procrustean bed of grammatical categories of European languages. Instead it aims at helping the reader to develop an intuition about the language and is very successful at that. Abundant examples with clear and thorough explanations lead you through all aspects of the Classical Tibetan from alphabet to poetry. This book will definitely help you crystallize your understanding of Tibetan grammar.

This true story of survival has been the subject of two other books and a movie. In 1994, a ten-man group of soldiers, 7 British and 3 Chinese from Hong Kong, went to Sabah, Malaysia with the intention of being the first ever to successfully navigate Lows Gully. Lows Gully is a deep chasm off the northern flank of Mount Kinabalu. Superstition, mystery and intrigue surrounds this place instilling fear into some of the locals. It was into this situation that these men went to create history.

The other two books that were written about this expedition came from four of the team involved. With regard to this book, R.M. Connaughton is independent. He seems well qualified to undertake such a task having a military background and actually serving in the Far East. At the beginning of the book, he provides historical, yet essential background information to Mount Kinabalu and Lows Gully. He relates the exploits of Hugh Low (whom Lows Gully was named after) and Spenser St John. In the 1990's the attempt by Robert New and Steve Pinfield is also related.

With the background information, Connaughton then begins to describe the preparations for the expedition describing the building of the team and the travelling to Mount Kinabalu. Their is a photo section in the middle of the book and at the end there is a chapter entitled "Reflections" which describes some of the findings of the subsequent Board of Enquiry.

The book highlights the various tensions that existed between team members and tries to establish what exactly went wrong. Connaughton does an excellent job with this difficult task. The chapter detailling the extensive rescue operation that took place with the British and Malaysians deserves a special mention.

This is an excellent book and you can almost envisage the savage jungle terrain that is described as you read it.

On the whole this is a well-written and well researched book and I thoroughly recommend it.

Saw half the movie, didn't read the book yet. What is the title of the movie ? Is it for sale ?

This is probably the definitive book on the reign of Ngo Dinh Diem in South Vietnam. Every serious student of the American involvement in Vietnam should find this background on how we got into that mess in the first place well worth reading. It describes Diem's background, character and personality and explains why not only Diem himself but also the vast cultural differences between the Americans and the Vietnamese made for an extremely difficult relationship.

It also has current value as the United States searches for leaders we can work with in parts of the world that are as new to intense American involvement as Vietnam was in the 1950s and 60s. A better understanding of what we did wrong in Vietnam may help us to avoid repeating those same mistakes. My personal opinion, reinforced by this book, is that if we have only a lame horse to bet on then we would be better off not betting in that particular race.

Catton's many examples show how out of touch the Ngo family was with the majority of the Vietnamese people. Diem was an arrogant, opinionated bachelor, a Catholic in a nation that was 93 percent Buddhist. One of his brothers was a Catholic bishop and Catton describes "the sectarian character of the Diem regime." Another brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, served as "Political Counselor"--and enforcer. Catton describes him as the regime's "Rastputin." Nhu's wife was probably the worst female government spokesman since Marie Antoinette. Madame Nhu referred to the suicides of burning bonzes as "barbecues." When I first arrived in Vietnam in 1966 she was still infamous as "The Dragon Lady."

The author expanded what was originally a graduate student paper about the Strategic Hamlet program in 1961-1963 into a doctoral dissertation that was more focused on Diem, his government, and their developing relationship with the Americans. With that background, we should expect excellent documentation and indeed the 203 pages of text are backed up by 59 pages of notes.

However, it is still possible for a nitpicker to find a few gaps. For example, his bibliography includes the U.S. Army's Military History Institute but not its Center of Military History. "The Michigan State University Vietnam Advisory Group" is mentioned three times but we are not told what it was. My local guide in Plieku in 1999 spoke excellent English because he had spent a year at Michigan State University. (The downside was that it earned him a year in jail after the communist takeover.) What was the Michigan connection? Faced with being dumped by his American allies "Diem won a dramatic reprieve with a military victory over the Binh Xuyen (a mafia type crime organization) at the end of April 1955." How could he win "a military victory" over a bunch of civilian gangsters?

Catton apparently speaks and reads Vietnamese, which undoubtedly provides advantages in research and opens doors for him that are not available to most American authors of books about Vietnam. Even though the English language literature on Vietnam is vast, some of the information he provides from the many referenced books and articles in Vietnamese may well be published here for the first time

Diem continually carped and complained about the type and amount of U.S. aid but resisted doing the things the Americans wanted in return. In Stilwell and the American Experience in China, Barbara Tuchman relates Stilwell's complaints about our government's failure to demand a quid pro quo from our Chinese allies in return for the aid we provided them. We had the same problem in Vietnam. The more we did for them the less the Vietnamese did for themselves. I read Stilwell in the spring of 1972 during my second tour as an advisor to a Vietnamese Army unit in the field. Our failure to demand, and Vietnamese failure to provide, a quid pro quo was still a problem nine years after Philip Catton described this exchange between Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge and Diem in 1963:

"'Isn't there some one thing you may think of that is within your capabilities to do and that would favorably impress U.S. opinion[?]" Lodge asked finally. Diem gave the ambassador 'a blank look and changed the subject.'"

This is the first book that I have read about this period that really puts the Vietnamese side of this drama in center stage. I happened to serve in Vietnam during a couple of years while Diem's was President and had the advantage of speaking fairly fluent Vietnamese and have always thought that the 'Last Mandarin' image of Diem was quite off base. Catton actually manages to explain 'Personalism' , something that Diem himself had trouble doing to the people of Vietnam. The book does not attempt to whitewash any of Diem's many faults but does show Diem to actually be a modern nationalist who was determined to follow his own own agenda for nation building . It was this determination to follow his own agenda that was the major source of friction with his American backers. This book is a must read for any serious student of the war as it was the overthrow of Diem that really brought about the Americanization of the war.

From one Marine's experience comes a vivid retelling of what he experienced as a young U.S. Marine deployed into the early stages of the Vietnam War. It begins on aboard a troop ship sailing off the coast of South Vietnam. You can feel the tension and fear as these Marines are assembling to take the helicopter ride to shore to hunt and destroy the enemy. Makes one appreciate the U.S. Marine dedication to country and their focus on getting the job done. I thank the U.S. Marines for their service to our country. Thank you!

If you are interested in reading a REAL story about vietnam, this is it. My father is the man who wrote this book. Reading this book allowed me a great opportunity to learn about him...Come on, how many of you can figure out what makes the "old man" tick, especially if they were in that war? It was a very interesting and heartwarming experience to read this book. Many of you have had fathers that have been in this war. Sometimes after seeing all those Hollywood movies(i.e., Platoon, Hamburger Hill, need I go on?), you wonder how did he turn out so normal, and so good?? Let me tell you, he is the best man I know, and hope to always live up to. This is a remarkable story of his life and I believe it served a greater purpose for him to write it. To free his mind of the demons and to let us kids really reach into his heart and explore the great man that he is. Because, believe me, he is one humble god-loving man that will never realize the impact he has had on my life and many more...I am sure of that.READ IT

One of the few books that had come across me which glued me to it. When I read a book it usually took me two or three weeks, if it is a good book, to finish it. Well, this book took me just 3 days to read from cover to cover. A compelling jouney of a family though unspeakable hardship, miserly and ignorance. This book draw you into the day to day life of the writer's life while she and her family was in the camps. At time I felt I can smell the odor and felt the hot summer heat in the camps. One thought keep popping up, this could be a great movie, perhaps direct by Steven Spielberg. One down side of the book is that it could use better editing, I can spot numerous errors thoughout the book that can be at time distracting but in no ways diminish the book's content

I am a surviving prisoncamp child myself, and would like to be able to get a copy of this book. Started my own autobiography, but need some help with names of camps, and dates. I was there with my mother, brother and 2 sisters, while my father was a prisoner of war and taken to Singapore. We all survived. So please help. Thank you

The only thing better then reading this book on your own, is to experience it from Francia's own lips. Francia is an amazing storyteller, this book is a must for anyone interested in personal/cultural identity. If you ever get a chance to hear this author read, do it- he is wonderful!

From the first word of this book I knew that this book was for me. Luis Francia's book is a must read for any Filipino-American looking to discover their Cultural Identity.

Luis takes his reader's on poetic journeys through the Philippine Archipelago, through these adventures we discover the many cultures of the Philippines and start to understand social and political issues that Filipinos face. Through his words you feel Luis' passion for a country he loves in the same way that you feel the passion through the words of Jose Rizal, Jorge Luis Borges, or Pablo Neruda.

It is not enough to say that I enjoyed this book. Luis' book is culturally significant. It meets the needs of Filipino's in their struggle to create a new cultural identity.

As Fodors does like no one else, this pleasing digestible guidebook gives practical information to the traveller for an incredibly large and diverse region. A great starting point for trip planning in southeast Asia.

I love the Rough Guides, Moon Guides, and Lonely Planet. The only problem is, they often assume you're going for 3 weeks or 6 months. I can seldom get away for more than 8-10 days at a time. Fodor's doesn't just dump a lot of destination info on you. They help you prioritize by listing "must-see" sights and presenting multiple alternative itineraries for trips of different lengths, etc.

Last December, Fodor's SE Asia guide helped me figure out that the Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore odyssey we wanted just wouldn't fit comfortably into 10 days. So we postponed that trip until someday when we have at least 2 or 3 weeks. Instead, we simply flew into Bangkok and immediately booked a 3-day Phnom Penh/Angkor tour. In all, we did 3 days each in Cambodia and Bangkok and 4 days in Tokyo. It was a fabulous trip.

This time I'm using Fodor's Japan, together with the Moon and Rough Guides (and of course the Internet), to plan a 10-day solo trip to Hokkaido. From Fodor's I get the highlights, along with a good idea of what I can expect to fit into 10 days. From the other two I get obscure (but equally important!) details, such as the fact that the little farming town of Furano (not mentioned in Fodor's) gets a lot of Japanese tourists because it was the setting for the long-running TV drama Kita no Kuni Kara (From the North Country). I've only seen a few early episodes of that show, but it's enough that now I want to see Furano too.

To sum up, I use Fodor's as my starting point, then read other guides to get extra details. I've done 2 Asia trips this way, and I'll be doing the 3rd one very soon.

Like the previous reviewer, I had to read this book for a class. The book gives the view of Indochina from the French perspective. Relying on novels, newspapers, movies and other items of popular culture, the author shows how French culture created an image of Indochina and dealt with their first colonial defeat. Chapters include discussions of the French Exhibition of 1931 and the role of gender in the cultural image of Indochina and a number of fairly sophisticated historiographical arguments. The author does a good job of summarizing each of her points which is extremely beneficial since this is not a book for the casual reader.

I felt that in some areas the author was stretching her points but perhaps that makes the book more provacative. My one major criticism is the constant injection of long paragraphs in French with no English translations. The previous reviewer found that aspect of the book beneficial. Perhaps he or she is bilingual and able to read the French. Most English readers are not. I felt that I lost a great deal because I was unable to read the quotations. Would it have been so hard to footnote those quotes in English since the book was published for an English speaking audience?

I had to read this book for my class and I thought that it was really great insight. I also loved how Ms. Cooper includes the French original text in the book. I recomend this book to anyone who is interested in Indochina or French culture.

This is a book which appeals on many different levels -- an interesting military and social history of South Vietnam following the pullout of US forces up to its final defeat, a compelling study of the oil business (which particularly resonates today with oil prices rising) and an insightful study of business management in crisis situations. The problem with the book is its title; it sure doesn't shout "read me!".

I was most struck by the character of the author. Louis Wesseling has a gift for honest self-reflection and impartial observation which, when combined with hindsight, make him a compelling writer. Fortunately for his readers he was in a unique position to deploy these considerable attributes. Wesseling ran Shell Oil's operations in Saigon and if ever an economy and a war effort was totally dependent on oil it was South Vietnam's. His description of how Shell operated in these circumstances describes in very real terms how fundamentally economic and military policy are intertwined. His position as chief executive of a company so central to the economic and military well-being of the South also gave him access to everyone who was anyone, and his pithy, sympathetic summations of the major characters of that period are excellent. These are particularly poignant with respect to Graham Martin, the last US Ambassador to South Vietnam.

It is the author's character strengths which make this book a far richer reading experience than I had expected (my initial expectations having been set by that woeful title). Whereas I had bought this out of interest in Vietnam and the Vietnam War, I discovered a book with far broader appeal. Wesseling has an uncanny ability to sum up the essence of a situation, scene or even a country in just a few short lines, and this permits him to cover a wide variety of topics with substance -- from running a business in a war zone to how the US oil companies so quickly forsook US interests and allies in order to keep favor with OPEC during the 1973 oil embargo.

My strong advice to the book's publisher is to change the title and promote it a bit; it is deserving of a much broader readership!

BOOK DEALS IN EXTRAORDINARY FRANK WAY WITH THE OVERRIDING INFLUENCE OF BUSINESS- IN THIS CASE OIL- ON THE OUTCOME OF WAR. IT TELLS THE INTIMATE STORY OF THE LAST YEARS OF THE VIETNAM WAR. BUT ITS CONCLUSIONS CAN EQUALLY APPLY TO OTHER ARMED CONFLICTS OF OUR TIME, FROM THE GULF WAR TO KOSOVO.A VERY PERSONAL, RIVETING AND NOT AT ALL SELF-SERVING EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT BY AN EX-USAF OFFICER AND EX SHELL PRESIDENT IN VIETNAM MOVING IN THE HIGHEST GOVERNMENT CIRCLES IN SAIGON BEFORE ITS FALL. IT EXPLAINS THE INEVITABLE CORRUPTION AND THE MOTIVES OF MANY FASCINATING CHARACTERS FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL IN SAIGON AT THE TIME.