For you aspiring travel writers (and nonfiction lovers), Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin is a "Gotta Read" Book. I read a review on World Hum today and listened to an interview with Emma Larking today on NPR. I was intriqued to no end. Here is an excerpt from Frank Bures, World Hum's book editor, review...
It’s hard to believe that a place like this still exists in a region of the world home to booming economies like Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. But it does.
Now, thanks to Emma Larkin’s fascinating new book, Finding George Orwell in Burma, we have a much clearer picture of just how this came to be, and of what life is like in this brutal and reclusive dictatorship, which makes Laos and Cambodia look like progressive democracies.
Larkin (a pseudonym to protect herself and her Burmese friends) is a Bangkok-based journalist who speaks Burmese and who has been visiting the country for the past 10 years.
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Lately there has been an increase in tourism to Burma, but most travelers will only see so much. One tourist told Larkin, “Everyone smiles at you—it can’t be that bad.”
But guides receive strict government training about what they can and cannot discuss with tourists, and the punishments are severe—jail, torture, disappearance.
Fortunately, Larkin draws back the bamboo curtain far enough for us to see what’s behind it. In one encounter, she talks to an impassive old woman who suddenly breaks down and tells Larkin she has no hope for the future.
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