S.E. Asia Reading List

Here are some good books I read while travelling which are related to the region. Depending one how one feels about such things, they can be bought for $2-3 in pirated form (locally photocopied, w/ sleeves faithfully duplicated). Listed by country:

Vietnam:

Sorrow of War - Bao Ninh
One of the few books on the war from the Vietnam perspective available in English. A gripping novel loosely based on the author's experiences as a young soldier who survived multiple campaigns on the North Vietnamese side and lived to write about it. Particularly interesting is a fleeting portrait of old Hanoi, before the communists had taken over, as a place where free spirits still had a place. Ninh's voice is deeply human and brings home the truth that war destroys all, including the victors. Should be required reading in American classrooms.

The Quiet American - Graham Greene
Novel recently made into a Hollywoor movie about Vietnam during the French colonial occupation. Although largely a white man's fantasy (with the docile Vietnamese plaything thrown in), it is entertaining and includes prescient insight into american foreign policy in the region as a deadly mix of naiviete, incompetence and arrogance.

Shadows and Wind - Robert Templer
A profile of contemporary Vietnam, including detailed inner workings of party politics and the recent economic "doi moi" progress. Highly critical of various government officials. I'm surprised this was freely available to tourists on the streets of Hanoi.

If I Die in a Combat Zone - Tim O'Brien
Good companion piece to Bao Ninh's work, from the American perspective. A memoir of a college student who is drafted and sent to fight in the jungles of Vietnam. Particularly insightful are the depiction of sado-masochistic military training and references to Greek philosophy on the definition of courage. Too often, "courage" is an empty word thrown around by politicians and shallow patriots. In the classic greek concept, wisdom and moderation are also key ingredients in courage.

In Retrospect - Robert McNamara
Definitive analysis by the ultimate inside man who served as Secretary of Defense under Kennedy and Johnson during the Vietnam war. Reads like a national nightmare - all the more so because the Bush administration is repeating almost every mistake in Iraq these guys made in Vietnam.


Cambodia:

The Gate - Francois Bizot
Memoir by perhaps the only european survivor of Pol Pot's regime. The author was imprisoned, tortured, interrogated by the Khmer Rouge, released just before the fall of Phnom Penh. During the fall of the city, he had to frantically coordinate the evacuation of the remaining international community in the capital. This book kept me up half the night as it was impossible to put down.

Off the Rails in Phnom Penh Into the Dark Heart of Guns, Girls, and Ganja - Amit Gilboa
Highly entertaining and disturbing travelogue about expat life in Phnom Penh in the late 1990's. The expats Gilboa chronicles lead a dissolute life of brothels, heroin, guns. Also includes excellent accounts of the political transition, mafioso maneuverings of Cambodia's current leader, Hun Sen and the failures/excesses of the U.N. presence.

Voices from S-21 - David Chandler
Detailed analysis and account of Pol Pot's secret interogation, prison and processing center for the killing fields. Chandler is a professor of S.E. Asian studies and this book is on the academic side. Interesting are the links he draws between Pol Pot's policies and Chinese Communists' own dark cultural revolution as well as analyses from a wide range of disciplines, including Marxist ideology, psychology, contemporary behavioral research, and Cambodia's ancient history. If there was a hell on earth, S-21 has to be one of them.

A History of Cambodia - David Chandler
An academic treatment of Cambodia's history, from the glorious Angkor period to the recent U.N. monitored elections.

Laos:

Another Quiet American - Brett Dakin
An excellent account of life as an expat in Vientiane, Laos. Dakin spent 2 years there as a consultant to the state tourism ministry - and he covers a wide range of issues and characters that he came across. The book is fresh enough that many of the people and places Dakin illustrates still inhabit Vientiane today. One of those books that manages a good balance between the factual and personal.

Regional:

Sex Slaves - Louise Brown
Sobering multi-pronged analysis of the sex trade in South and South East Asia. Brown courageously tackles many difficult issues surrounding the trafficking of women today in the region. The material she unearths is so disturbing that, understandably, she often let's her emotions get in the way of her objectivity.

Travel:

Lonely Planet Unpacked - Lonely Planet
Entertaining collection of real life disaster stories by people working for the ubiquitous independent travel guide.

The Alchemist - Paul Koelho
Perhaps you're feeling a little lost in your travels or perhaps you are travelling in search of something spiritual. This book provides some inspiration on the importance of following one's dreams.