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Reading the book I felt a great pride to be an American. So many of the letters expressed a desire to come to the US to start a better life. ( )

This book is a collection of moving essays written for English class by refugees in camps on the Thai border. The introduction and explanatory material provide a concise explanation of Burma’s political evolution since independence.
The book is divided into three sections. The first section contains essays from refugees of the 8888 uprising – August 8, 1988, It is a telling fact that these people are still refugees. The essays in the second section are by refugees from the 2007 uprising – the Saffron Revolution. The essays in these two sections were written by ethnic Burmese.
The third section consists of writings by refugees of other ethnic groups: Karen, Chin, Mon, Arakanese, and Shan. (There were no Kachin present in the camps where the author worked.) The difference in view and experience of these people, many Christian or Muslim, illuminates the complexities of Burmese society. Each group has its unique problems.
For example, since the Shan have traditionally worked on both sides of the border, the Thai government often deports them as economic migrants without giving them the opportunity to establish that they are political refugees. Burmese and other ethnic groups are assumed to be political refugees; hence, Shan political refugees must often lie about their ethnicity to receive asylum.
The book covers the period through the elections of 2010. I had thought that the current developments in Burma might have made this book dated, but instead it serves as a good introduction to a complex situation. And many of the authors of these essays are still refugees in these camps, still living the lives that they describe. ( )

Sad, tragic, and uplifing, life as seen by the victims of the 8888 Burma (Myanmar) uprising and its aftermath. Added between the stories are recollections of the biographer and sad said as it was to read it was very inspiring. Especially living in a country like ours and as of yet not realizing the strain and hardship of this kind of life. ( )

This book was interesting. The author gave historic descriptions of the protests and fighting in Burma.

For the rest of the review, visit my book blog at: http://angelofmine1974.livejournal.com/46571.html ( )

This was one of those books that was hard to put down and hard to pick up. The reality of the refugees and the experiences they were forced to live through were riveting ... but not in a good way. Human nature is at its root is not good, if you need to see that in real tangible lives and stories ... read this book.