A collection of black-and-white photographs depicting life in miserable camps of Cambodian displaced persons strung along the Thai border. The photographs are interwoven with touching personal stories. These are not beautiful images, but then nothing in the camps was ever beautiful to my eyes. Those Cambodian-Americans who were interned in the camps and those who worked with humanitarian agencies involved in programs along the Thai-Cambodian border will want to own this book. Forwards are by the Dalai Lama and Dith Pran. The reader cannot help but wonder what "repatriated" Cambodians who once resided in the camps would have to say today. Was that chaotic mass repatriation back to troubled Cambodia truly a United Nations success story, or was one misery simply exchanged for another, with the victims conveniently moved out of sight, or is the truth somewhere in between? Kari Rene Hall's fine work cries out for a sequel and follow-up research work inside Cambodia, where things have never been easily understood even by those most intimately involved.

It is hard for most of us to grasp the magnitude of the abomination perpetrated upon the Cambodian people. The use of the interview-based technique very poignantly relays the individual experience in manner not seen with scholarly historical works

This is a story written in diary format by the author who after a year as an exchange professor at Tokyo University spent part of the next year living with native activists fighting the resistance to Japanese logging, and Japanese timber camp managers, on Borneo,the third largest island on earth which lies just north of the Indonesian archipelago in the South China Sea. This is a poignant travel narrative as well as a serious environmental study of the exploitation of third world resources. The true irony of the story of Borneo's rapdily disappearing rainforest, and the local corruption and greed which siphon off most of the profits, while native rights and land uses are obliterated, (sounds like America in the early 19th century!) is that most of the timber shipped to Japan is used to feed Japan's wholesale adoption of American habits: buy it, use it, throw it away, buy another! Much of the wood is being used to make cheap furniture and plywood forms for concrete that are thrown away after several uses. Unlike America's own trees on vast land masses,Japan has little to support such habits. This is really another story which is symptomatic of first world countries exploitation of third world resources - and the hypocrisy of the United States' condemnation of such practices.

I found this a really useful text dealing with British defence policy pre 7/8 December 1941.It is very readable & has a good degree of analysis.
What suprised me was the extent to which the British were prepared to reach an accomodation with the Japanese Empire pre Pearl Harbour,& the role of the Dutch.America was a wild card with no certainty of getting involved in a war with Japan.America was getting out of the Phillipines & the Filpinos were concerned the Japanese would take over.Approaches were made by the Filipinos to the British with a view to being incorporated into the British Empire.
This is a view of the period prior to WW2 in the Pacific which is new.I would recommend this book unhesitatingly.

The "Book Description" submitted by the publisher started: "American army troops entered Cambodia in April of 1970. President Richard Nixon could not keep ground troops there beyond June 1970 without authorization from Congress, which was not forthcoming."
This is incorrect. President Nixon chose to pull all U.S. troops out at the end of June, but that was his decision. He could have kept troops there months longer, if he had chosen to do so. There were people in Congress trying to impose limitations on the President's ability to use U.S. forces in Cambodia, but they did not manage to get such a limitation enacted into law until January of 1971. I have not yet seen the book, but this error right at the beginning of the publisher's summary of it leaves me a bit suspicious.
I don't like the idea of giving a rating (4 stars out of 5) when I have not actually read the book, but the software on this site will not permit me to post any comment without making a rating.

I want to buy this book how can I order , Now I live In Japan

What better way to get to know a culture than through its folklore? This wonderful collection includes Cambodian folktales passed down for centuries--even millenia--before being written down in the late nineteenth century. Simple but elegant (as are the illustrations), these stories teach traditional Buddhist values, usually in the negative: don't be greedy, don't be haughty, don't be superstitious, don't be gullible--or else you will pay the price! Adding insight are background notes on Cambodian society, holidays, etc. A good primer for anyone interested in traditional Cambodian culture.

I am a casual history buff interested in S.E. Asian history. I found the book very informative and enjoyed its thematic approach to S.E. Asian history in contrast to presenting it on a country-by-country basis. The book is intensive reading, especially for those of us who are not history majors. But if one is looking for a text with lots of information that is well researched, then this book fits the bill. Happy reading.

i read this book for a class i was taking in college. some of the lists and letters haas reproduced made me cry...most books that people read in college don't make people cry. haas' main (and one of her only) shortcomings was her apple pie, americana approach to what people left. many latino-americans and african-americans fought in vietnam and the material and social analysis is, at times, very white bread. very good overall. moving and interesting.

An intriguing book by Mr. Tarapacki. It allows a reader to discover those of Polish ancestry and to live with their travails as they tried to move up the cultural mosaic and create a career for them that wasn't open upon their integration to the USA. In years past, those new colonists to the USA had to change their names in the hopes of making careers for themselves or keeping their ancestral names and not having those "doors" open to them. The book is an easy and enjoyable read not only for those of a Polish background but for all who have an interest in sports and their role in society. The only negative thing that I could find about this book was that it seemed too short in text. Hopefully Mr. Tarapacki can see fit and bring out a Chapter Two.