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Title: The Trouser People: A Story of Burma in the Shadow of the Empire
ISBN: 1582432422
Author:
Andrew Marshall
Publicate Date: 2003-07
Publish: 2003-07
List Price: $16.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $9.45
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $4.38
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Great read
It was an interesting read, especially on the historical perspective. The only thing is...you have to remember it's seen through the eye of the foreigner, not the Burmese native. I'm Burmese so I know the difference. But it's still a good read despite that.
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2: You curious 'bout Burma? Buy this book.
The short of my opinion on this book is that if you are curious about Burma,(or think you could be curious) then buy this book. The writing is superb, the author has an exceptional capacity for observation and an endearing personality, the book is very dense(yet fun) on the score of interesting facts, and the basic conception is very imaginative. I admit that I've not read any other books on Burma, and only a few other travelogues, but regardless, - and I mean this in the most objective sense possible - this book is d*mnd good!
Some of this has undoubtedly been included in other reviews, but... The whole structure of the book is woven around the travels through Burma of two people, the author and a 19-th century Victorian goomba, George Scott. Having two parallel story threads roughly a century apart, I felt, did a lot to put things in persective, and at times really set my imagination on fire. Reading one page, I'm(armchair-wise) traveling with the author to a distant, intriguing village high up in some beautifully forested and rice-terraced hills; on another page I get to read about some Shan chief who, killed by the British, was boiled into some kind of goo by Shan rivals and decanted into vials which were sold as potions for bravery; on another I'm wondering if the author is going to be beaten by soldiers and dumped in the fog-ensnared mud while undertaking some foolhardy quest in a northern Wa drug state, trying to find a mythical lake; and on another I get to witness George Scott defuse the mistrust of a xenophobic Wa village, armed with nothing but a sense of humor that apparently transcended culture.
And interwoven with all these wonderful, exotic stories, are many facts, historical and contemporary, on various customs, superstitions, political circumstances, human rights violations, and on every other matter of conceivable relevance. Such as the efflorescence of soccer in Burma in the 19-th century, for example.
In summation, the author has a sharp eye for detail, the ability to make very intelligent writing, a sense of adventure and an abundance of curiosity, and the wit and passion to put it all together into a very satisfying read, and this he has done.
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3: Thoughtful & Informative
"The Trouser People" kills two birds with one stone. Following in the footsteps of what may have been the British Empire's most enthusiastic colonizer, Sir George Scott, as well as reporting on life in modern-day Burma, this book is thoughtful, informative and provocative.
I recently returned from Burma and found Marshall's descriptions of conditions there to be spot on. The author goes a step (or many steps) off the well-trodden tourist track, however. One thing I enjoy in a travel tale is a writer who "pushes the envelope," dares to tread where the more meek of us fear to set foot. In exploring the Shan States (Scott's area of expertise), Mr. Marshall not only ventures into relatively far-flung and forlorn areas, he actually pulls an end run and sneaks into forbidden territory after crossing illegally from China. This is just what the doctor ordered for armchair travelers. His feat could have resulted in imprisonment, torture or even death and I'm very glad he managed to pull it off.
The object of Marshall's fascination, George Scott, was a fascinating Victorian (a rabid footballer who introduced the game to the Burmese) and an indefatiguable explorer. Not only did he take expeditions across unbelievably inhospitable terrain, he took it upon himself to venture into forbidding tribal areas such as those occupied by the fearsome headhunters, the Wild Wa. In his tireless efforts to put Burma on the Empire's map, he studied, wrote and preserved as much as he could during his decades in what was then a remote and almost forgotten corner of the globe. It took him ten years to write the "Gazetteer," a vast encyclopedic volume on every aspect of the colony, from crop production for each state to tribal rituals, costumes and culture. For Scott this was literally a thankless task but his endless curiosity and obsession with his assigned section of the Empire wouldn't let him rest until it was done. The characters he came to know, including Burma's maligned and ultimately exiled royalty, provide the reader with a window on an era that is gone forever.
As for Marshall, I can't imagine how he managed to enter and re-enter Burma without being banned for life. Considering that his journalistic endeavors drew a lot of attention, as mentioned in the "Author's Note," the completion of this book is quite an accomplishment. Following in Scott's footsteps, the author sheds a much needed light on what is essentially a closed society. The military junta that controls the country is one of the most repressive in the world. During seven trips into Burma, Marshall covers a lot of territory, vividly describing the brutal and sometimes primitive conditions that still wrack the country; spotty electricity, primitive housing, deforestation, forced relocation of entire towns and villages, oppressive governmental policies and entire sections of the country at the mercy of militaristic drug lords.
Juxtaposing life in the colonial era with modern-day conditions is an effective tool, portraying just how far Burma hasn't come. While the generals who rule the country like to proclaim progress since the end of colonialism, in many ways the citizens are much worse off. The brutal tactics of the British have been magnified tenfold. The teak forests are being clear-cut and sold to the Chinese, opium is cultivated and controlled by a few brutal criminals (with the tacit approval of the military regime), traditional villages are being destroyed and the inhabitants relocated to concrete monstrosities. The people can't utter a word in protest considering the very real threat of imprisonment or even execution. Especially poignant is Marshall's description of the remote, mountainous areas near the Chinese and Thai borders, reminiscent of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" or the movie based on the novel, "Apocalypse Now."
During my travels in Burma, one of my guides (whose location, let alone name, will not be repeated) proudly showed me that he/she was reading "The Trouser People." The content of the book is so damaging to the current regime it would never be allowed in the hands of the people. That alone makes this a must read. Anyone interested in British colonial history or in life in modern-day Burma should read this story. It serves as a much needed light shining in some very dark corners.
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4: Eye opening
This book is a travelogue of journeys the author took into Burma to retrace George Scott's adventures of the 1880s. The author, Andrew Marshall, seems to be a journalist based in Thailand, from where he has been able to travel to Burma relatively easily. While in Burma, he tries hard to make contact with tribal people, especially the Shans, who Scott spent so much time with 100 years before. The narrative is split between Scott's travels in the nineteenth century, and Marshall's present day experiences. Occasionally, Marshall's informal style of writing, with his use of British slang, gets a bit thick for me. Nevertheless, the case that he makes against the Burmese military is quite compelling. I've heard friends and acquaintances argue on both sides of the question of whether traveling to or working in modern day Burma provides support for the brutal government there. After reading this book, however, I don't see myself going anywhere near the country until there is a regime change.
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5: A superb book, with a glitch
This is not an even-handed scholarly study of Burma -- thank goodness. It moves along just like a journey, in fits and starts, pausing here, rushing there.Focusing on Sir George Scott, British Empire-builder of a hundred years ago, Marshall paints a vivid picture of Burma today. His writing is extraordinarily full of life, leading the reader from sympathy to outrage, from suspense to laughter. This is not a book you want to give to someone recuperating from surgery: Marshall is one of the funniest writers I have ever read, and would play havoc on surgical stitches. One point I would like to debate: his discussion of the Kayan/Padaung families working for the Hupin Hotel in Yawnghwe/Nyaungshwe. I know the family that runs the Hupin personally -- several branches of the clan, actually, and count several of the staff among my friends. Yes, they are not running the hotel for their health, and yes, they are making a profit, but in all sincerity, I do not think their dealings with the Kayan are as heartless as Marshall depicts. There are two families of Kayan by Inle Lake. Marshall met the ones hired by the Hupin, not those moved in by the government. The Hupin went into the mountains and made a deal with the family: they would build a house for them, give the men jobs in factories around Yawnghwe, the women would work for the hotel, and the kids would go to school at Hupin's expense. They are paid monthly salaries and medical expenses, and any weddings and what-not are paid for by the Hupin. Some of the children have reached high school, and are still going strong. Few children in the countryside get so much schooling. One little girl envied all the attention her big sister got from tourists because of the rings on her neck. The little girl raised such a fuss that her parents agreed to let her have rings on her neck, even though she had not reached the traditional age for that. BTW: she refuses to go to school. The price for a photo with the Padaung is US$3: this is split 3 ways, between the guide, the hotel, and the Padaung (US$1 is a good day's wage for someone working in Yangon, a week's salary for the countryside.) The Padaung are free to go back to Kayah state. When they go, they bring handicrafts back to the hotel, which they sell to tourists; this money goes into their own pockets. My friends from the Hupin asked the Kayan to lower the price of the bracelets I was buying, and let me tell you, it was a struggle! These are not listless zombies meekly obeying a master's wishes.
Marshall describes a concrete compound. I am not sure what he is talking about, unless it is the area outside their compound, beyond the bamboo bridge. Their wooden house was built Kayan style, in accordance with their specific wishes. They are an extremely conservative tribe. Marshall makes much of the women not leaving their compound. The Padaung are shy people, and the women do not speak Burmese, so they are not willing to range far. Also, I have heard from separate, unrelated sources that there is a danger for Padaung women to roam, because there have been cases of their being -- not exactly kidnapped, but taken off for show in Europe. Marshall says "the hotel staff member broke into a practiced spiel." We may not be talking about the same man, I did not speak English with the Padaung man I went with, but I suspect the "practiced spiel" may be memorized word for word by someone who speaks minimal English, and may not have confidence in leaving the beaten path. I deeply feel that the Hupin is more than fair in its dealings with its staff, whether they be Burman, Shan, Chinese, Kayan, or others. When I told the Hupin family what Marshall had written about them, they were quite hurt. Frankly, they are making enough money from tourists, they do not feel the need to exploit the workers. Marshall went to Burma expecting to see the disadvantaged being exploited, so when he saw the disadvantaged, he assumed they must be getting exploited. In the case of the Hupin, I can vouch that he was wrong. All in all, though, this is an excellent picture of Burma, including parts most of us will never see. I hope Marshall is hard at work on his next book. This is an author to keep an eye on.
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