I will share the review of each book when i am done with it.
Meanwhile these are the Summary at the back of the books.
IRRAWADDY (BENEVOLENT RIVER OF BURMA)
AUTHOR : JOHN STEVENSON
PHOTOS : BARRY BROMAN
*The IRRAWADDY RIVER is the artery of Myanmar, sustaining the lives of tens of millions of people. The country's main commerical highway, it stretches over thirteen hundred miles from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. Large ships travel as far north as Bhamo, and smaller vessels can reach Myitkyina, almost to the river's source.
Trade flourishes, crops are cultivated, and oil, gold, and precious stones are found along its fertile course. Men use the IRRAWADDY but have not tamed it. No dams impede its flow, and until 1931 there was no bridge along its entire length. The river flows where it wishes, uncontrolled, its channel constantly changing as sandbars and islands form and erode.
Unlike other great rivers that are shared by several countries, the IRRAWADDY belongs entirely to Myanmar; the identities of few other nationals and rivers are so closely interwined. Come join us on a pictorial journey as IRRAWADDY : benevolent river of Burma traces the course of the great fiver, and through it, the history and culture of the people who live along its bank.
JOURNEY THROUGH YANGON
AUTHOR : PHLIP COGGAN
PHOTOS : FELIX HUG
*In a rapidly chaning world, Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, has retained much of its charm and simplicity. With its rich spiritual and cultural history, its delightful landscape, colonial buildings, majestic pagodas and the warm hospitality of its people, Yangon offers a wonderful alternative to the modern traveller. Visit the famous Shwedagon Pagoda, have a meal at the floating Karaweik restaurant on the Kandawgyi Lake and have fun at Water festival during Thingyan, the Burmese New Year. Yangon also offers rich variety of traditional arts and delectable cuisine, including the popular dishes mohinga, ohn no khauk swe and laphet.
AUNG SAN SUU KYI
AUTHOR : WHITNEY STEWART
*When Aung San Suu Kyi returned to her native Burma to tend to her ailing mother, no one could know that, within a few months, the quiet woman would become a leader of her people. In 1989, after Suu Kyi had worked only a year in Burma's renewed struggle for democracy, the military government placed her under house arrest. The following year, while sill confined to her house, Suu Kyi led Burma's national league for Democracy to victory at the polls. The military government refused to recognize the election.
In 1991, still under arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Prize for peace. Upon her release from house arrest in 1995, thousands flocked to Suu Kyi's home in Rangoon to hear her speak. There she offered hope that democracy may yet blossom in Burma.
Whitney Stewart's biography, based on personal interviews with Aung San Suu Kyi and those around her, illuminates the dangers endured and triumphs enjoyed by this inspiring woman.
CULTURE SHOCK!
AUTHOR : SAW MYAT YIN
*"Visitors either love or hate life in Myanmar. The lack of basic amenities and consumer products found in more developed countries as well as the absence of nightlife are cause enough for foreign residents to find living in Myanmar a great inconvenience. Yet those who do love it will praise the fresh air, the fresh vegetables and fruit,and the green trees. The secret is that these residents have learnt to get the best of both worlds."Although in the recent years, Myanmar has relaxed its restrictions on foreign visitors slightly, the country continues to be relatively close to the outside world. Author Saw Myat Yin,a Myanmar native who has lived abroad for many years, opens the 'iron curtain' that surrounds Myanmar, offering fascination views of the country's landscapes, history, culture and traditions. Practical tips on how to deal with the locals and a useful section on 'Myan-speak' makes Culture shock!
Myanmar an essential read for anyone planning to visit in this exotic and intriguing country.
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