my reading list

Finding George Orwell in Burma
The Land of the Green Ghosts
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Lolita
The Heart Must Break
The Darkness We Saw: Torture in Burma’s Prison Camps
I have completed “The Land of Ghosts” a great book written by a boy who grew up in a hill tribe then went to university in Mandalay. He is then caught up in the revolution against the regime which closes the university and soon finds himself hiding out with one of the fiercest tribes in Burma – the Karen. He stays and fights with them until providence helps him reconnect with a British man who helps bring Pascal to Burma. The book is well written and nicely describes a bit of the history of Burma and its people through the story of this ultra-spiritual man. I really enjoyed it!
The thing I enjoyed the most about the book is his own view of the other people groups he encounters. Pascal, the author, is a Padaung, but he lives and travels with many other people group who carry their own traditions and customs. He openly shares his disgust as some of the food he had to eat, which just makes the foreign reader feel like they can relate. Also it opened my eyes to the interesting and unbelievable people who inhabit Burma. I had no idea. The people that I have read about I thought lived in Africa. The Padaung people with the rings around their necks lengthening them to 14 inches, the Wa people who are believed to be cannibals, the Karen with their fierce guerilla warfare and unbeatable jungle prowess all live in the country of Burma. What a fascinating place! I still have one more “history” book about Burma that I want to read and see what it says, but so far I am fascinated by this country that has so much stored in its borders that the world has not seen.