The river of lost footsteps : a personal history of Burma

What do we really know about Burma and its history? And what can Burma's past tell us about its present and even its future? For nearly two decades Western governments and a growing activist community have been frustrated in their attempts to bring about a freer and more democratic Burma―through sanctions and tourist boycotts―only to see an apparent slide toward even harsher dictatorship.Now Thant Myint-U tells the story of modern Burma, and the story of his own family, in an interwoven narrative that is by turns lyrical, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Through his prominent family's stories and those of others, he portrays Burma's rise and decline in the modern world, from the time of Portuguese pirates and renegade Mughal princes through a sixty-year civil war that continues today―the longest-running war anywhere in the world.The River of Lost Footsteps is a work at once personal and global, a "brisk, vivid history" (Philip Delves Broughton, The Wall Street Journal) that makes Burma accessible and enthralling. Burma Is Currently Ruled By A Harsh Dictatorship Unmoved By Western Activists And Sanctions. It Is Also The Sight Of The Longest-running Conflict In The World. Drawing Both On His Own Family's Stories And His Years Of Hands-on Political Experience Working With The United Nations, Thant Myint-u Has Written An Illuminating Account Of How Burma's Rich Past Informs Its Violent Present, And Of How The World Might Transform The Country's Future. In The River Of Lost Footsteps, Thant Myint-u Tells The Story Of Modern Burma, In Part Through A Telling Of His Own Family's History, In An Interwoven Narrative That Is By Turns Lyrical, Dramatic, And Appalling. His Maternal Grandfather, U Thant, Rose From Being The Schoolmaster Of A Small Town In The Irrawaddy Delta To Become The Un Secretary-general In The 1960s. And On His Father's Side, The Author Is Descended From A Long Line Of Courtiers Who Served At Burma's Court Of Ava For Nearly Two Centuries. Through Their Stories And Others, He Portrays Burma's Rise And Decline In The Modern World, From The Time Of Portuguese Pirates And Renegade Mughal Princes Through The Decades Of British Colonialism, The Devastation Of World War Ii, A Sixty-year Civil War That Continues Today, Military Repression And The Immergence Of Nobel Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The River Of Lost Footsteps Is A Work Both Personal And Global, A Distinctive Contribution That Makes Burma Accessible And Enthralling. Thant Myint-u Is The Author Of Where China Meets India And Has Written Articles For The New York Times, The Washington Post And The New Statesman. Burma is ruled by a harsh dictatorship unmoved by Western activists and sanctions. Drawing on his own family's stories and his years of hands-on political experience working with the UN, the author has written an illuminating account of how Burma's rich past informs its violent present, and of how the world might transform the country's future. Burma is ruled by a harsh dictatorship unmoved by Western activists and sanctions. Drawing both on his own family's stories and his years of hands-on political experience working with the United Nations, the author gives an account of how Burma's rich past informs its violent present, and of how the world might transform the country's future. Combining both personal and political experience, this is a brilliantly illuminating and profound portrait of Burma