“At once absorbing, illuminating, and humane, Thant Myint-U’s work traces the complex gearings of race, identity, and money with the perspective of a scholar and the intimacy of an insider. It’s invaluable in helping us understand the complexities not just of contemporary Burma but of our postcolonial world.”
- Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York University, author of The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity
“The book on Burma I’ve been waiting to read―a riveting behind-the-scenes account of the country’s political and social transition over recent years, a brave unravelling of well-worn myths, and an urgent plea to imagine a new story and better future for Burma.”
- Emma Larkin, author of
Finding George Orwell in Burma
“This superb book will help anyone who wants to understand Burma's fascinating and fraught recent history, but it is about much more than that - it provides a microcosm of the forces shaping twenty-first century politics, from democratisation to neoliberalism to climate change. An essential guide to the world we are in.”
- Professor David Runciman, Cambridge University, author of How Democracy Ends
“The Hidden History of Burma should be read for the pleasure of the author's prose, but it is also vital background reading to anyone trying to understand the Rohingya crisis or wrestling with the complexities of modern South or South East Asia.”
- William Dalrymple, author of The Anarchy:
the Rise and Fall of the East India Company
