Southeast Asia History

Through a precious cache of WWII letters, a story of war is revealed. But also, most movingly, a story of love, resilience and survival, from award-winning and bestselling writer, Peter Rees and Sue Langford....

Among the famines of the Second World War, the Great Famine of Vietnam (1944-1945) remains little known outside of Vietnam, especially compared to its contemporaries in Bengal, Henan, and the Soviet Union. Though natural disasters catalyzed the famine, the scope of the famine was exacerbated by the brutal French extraction of resources in northern Vietnam at the command of the Japanese military. However, the famine's seeds were sown long before the disaster, with the arrival of the French in the Mekong Delta and their subsequent colonization of Dai Viet.

Grausamkeit und Toleranz sind Begriffe, die in heutiger Zeit nicht recht zusammenpassen. Jedenfalls rühmen sich unsere westlichen Regierungen gerne ihrer Menschlichkeit und Toleranz, während mehr oder weniger feindlich gesinnte Autokratien wegen ihrer Grausamkeit und Intoleranz verurteilt werden. Die Begriffspaare anders zu kombinieren, ist definitiv nicht üblich. Oder kennen Sie ein Regime, das etwa als menschlich und intolerant tituliert wird? Manche Aspekte der Hunnen erscheinen uns vielleicht auch deswegen so fremd.

India is the home of ancient religions and practices. It is a nation whose fascinating history teaches us about tolerance, diversity, and unity. This far-reaching subcontinent has been the place where great empires have developed, the place of monumental battles, the place of foreign invaders and the place of birth of cultures and religions. This book represents a compelling illustration of one of the world’s oldest civilizations: the road it followed to reach the place where it is today, and the primary elements that shaped its culture.

I have described 35 of my favorite colonial buildings in Yangon (formerly Rangoon) and placed them in their historical context. Each one of them has a fascinating story to tell and is best understood and appreciated as a milestone in the history of Rangoon. The audiobook has two parts. Part one is the history of Rangoon, and part 2 is the buildings.

School-taught 'Social Studies' is a fairly sanitised affair. We learn about Britain, Lee Kuan Yew, and the paramount importance of free trade. We also learn about food and the origins of Chicken Rice. However, what comes out is just as important as what goes in, because Singapore's history is also a fecal history—of dysentery, nightsoil, quacks and more. In short, it's a story of shit.

A national bestseller in Singapore, I Ate Tiong Bahru is a collection of short stories about the food, people and history of Tiong Bahru, a community living in an estate composed of uniquely styled Art Deco buildings. Dynamic, personal and well-researched, I Ate Tiong Bahru is an inviting piece of original writing. "Black's love letter is one of the best introductions to a country and a state that you might read." ( Art Review Asia)

The exact starting point of the Vietnam war cannot be set. The United States entered the war gradually, following certain steps which spread over a 15-year timeline, from 1950 to 1965. And even before that, one needs to take into account the interest France held prior in the region. In the second half of the 19th century, the French began to take control of Vietnam. At first, their intervention was meant to be a mere protectorate, but it gradually turned into possession by 1939. Together with Cambodia, Vietnam became known as a French colony belonging to French Indochina.

The Ghost and the Ball of Candle Wax: The Boyhood of Dr. Jose P. Rizal is a historical anecdote of Dr. Jose P. Rizal in Barrio de la Paz while studying under the tutelage of Maestro Justiniano Cruz in Binan, Laguna, Philippines. His family was a devotee of the Nuestra Senora de la Paz y Bien Viaje in the old Mission de la Paz. Unlike the empirical researches of Dr. Gregorio Zaide and Leon Ma. Guerrero, Dr. Napoli Fiatro St. Croix has used the data he garnered during his childhood years in Barrio de la Paz from the rag-tag stories of Lelang Toyang, the storyteller of the ages.