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Under the Dragon: A Journey through Burma |  | Author: Rory MacLean
Creator: William Dalrymple
Publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $6.95
as of 9/5/2010 02:50 CDT details
You Save: $9.00 (56%)
New (16) Used (12) from $6.75
Seller: midtownscholarbookstore
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 35591
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 240
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.7
ISBN: 1845116224
Dewey Decimal Number: 915.910453
EAN: 9781845116224
ASIN: 1845116224
Publication Date: September 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The memory of a brief visit to Burma had haunted Rory MacLean for years. A decade after the violent suppression of an unarmed national uprising, which cost thousands of lives and all hopes for democracy, he seized the chance to return. Travelling from Rangoon to Mandalay and Pagan, into the heart of the Golden Triangle, he hears stories of freedom fighters, government censors, basket weavers, farmers and lovers -- ordinary people struggling to survive under one of the most brutal and repressive regimes in the world. Under the Dragon is a perceptive and heartbreaking portrayal of contemporary Burma, a country that is shot through with desperation and fear, but also blessed – even in the darkest places -- with beauty and courage.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Beautifully written and haunting November 29, 2003
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I was captivated by the book from the first story to the end. Ni Ni's short life was a snapshot of the helplessness, courage and tragedy of the Burmese people under the rule of a brutal, corrupt and repressive regime. The search of an old basket weaved the stories and observations very nicely together. It was quietly powerful, a non-provocative, dignified and compassionate account of Burma. Throughout the book, I felt anger, sadness, admiration and humbleness. I was charmed by the generosity, friendliness, sincerity, warmth, hospitality, honesty, dignity and courage of the people. I wish the tourists and merchants could show more consideration and respect to Burmese people, culture, resources, environment and heritage. We would be no better than the foreigner who used Ni Ni and discarded her after use, who took without caring what he took away. The nation deserves better and this book helps us to understand its plight and hope.
Quest makes frightening and alien culture accessible March 19, 2002
C. Coltman (Islamabad, Pakistan)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This evocative book has haunted me since I first read it last year. Rory MacLean weaves the story of his search for traditional Burmese culture (in the form of an antique basket)together with the tragic and profoundly moving lives of some contemporary Burmese. His harrowing and potentially deadly experience at the work's climax, takes his story and experience of Burma far beyond traditional travel literature, as his terror, on the one hand, and frustration and sadness about the destruction of Burmese traditions, on the other, grippingly recall the fear and loss of his earlier subjects. As he was in his earlier works, the author, is an intriguing character in this book. His uniquely personal involvement in the story and first person narration make the experience immediate and compelling, and as the reader finds herself drawn into his accessible story of the quest, so she gains rare knowledge of what might have remained unknowable: Burma and its people. The basket story not only creates suspense and unifies the book; in a small way, it brings the reader into the drama and emotion experienced by contemporary Burmese. This book transcends its genre, and warrants reading and rereading. I highly recommend it.
A Painful Journey June 27, 2010
OMalia
"Under the Dragon" is the next best thing to journeying to the mysterious kingdom of Burma. It paints a vivid picture of life under the cruel military dictatorship which has ruled for forty years. But all is not hopeless. The human spirit is not so easily snuffed out. Having travel twice to Burma, I can safely say that Rory MacLean has captured the sights, the smells and the feel of the land. But even better, he looks into the heart and soul of the people in a way that only someone who speaks their language can.
 Betrayed Reader October 1, 2008
L. Prock (Tacoma, WA USA)
7 out of 15 found this review helpful
I was under the impression that this was a must read from the other reviews. The quote on the cover from Fergal Keane says he cannot imagine a better book on the beauty and terror of Burma. I read to page nine and found a great descriptive of sex with the character Ni Ni. "He rose inside her, so deep that she thought she might burst".
Not my kind of book on beauty and the terror of any land.
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