A review of “The Indonesia Reader”, an anthology of Indonesian history, culture and politics.
This new anthology about Indonesia is a welcome addition to books (like “Culture Shock: Jakarta“) for expats and others who want to improve their knowledge of the archipelago’s history, culture and politics.
The editors have compiled a very wide range of articles and authors, including the current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, former President Soeharto, Pramoedya Ananta Toer and sporadically controversial Metro TV journalist Desi Anwar.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
A star studded line-up of authors |
|||
Like a long biography, (as the stories are published in chronological order) some of the earlier sections might be a bit heavy and hard going for the casual reader. As such, it is tempting to read the book from finish to start. However, there are several rare articles and some which are published in English for the first time, so there are a number of pleasant surprises, including:
 |
|
|
- an early article by Alfred Wallace, British naturalist and later the creator of the Wallace Line
- a story of the 1883 eruption of Krakatau by a Dutch survivor, RA Van Sandick.
- a history of the very slow Dutch conquest (starting in 1873 and taking at least 30 years) of Aceh, an interesting pre-cursor to later events.
Later sections cover a number of comtemporary subjects including: Indonesian reactions to Danish cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, separatist violence in Ambon, anti-Western terrorism via an interview with Bali bomber Imam Samudera and the new pornography bill.
One man who possibly doesn’t support the Pornography Bill
There are also some rare personal accounts of the 1965-1967 anti-communist massacres and being a “comfort woman” (i.e. sex slave) to Japanese soldiers during World War 2.
I would like to say that it is available at all good bookstores, but to my knowledge you cannot buy it within Indonesia. I got my copy in Australia. It doesn’t retail at all good bookstores for $US25.95; you can buy it on Amazon here or direct from the publisher here.
Reading More About Indonesia is brought to you by Indonesia Matters, which also features listings of Indonesia hotels, special discounts on Bali hotels, Kuta hotels, Sanur hotels, hotels in Jakarta, and more.
Tags: Books, Culture, Desi Anwar, History, Imam Samudra, Krakatoa, Maluku & Ambon (Moluccas), Muhammad Cartoons, Pornography & Porn, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Suharto (Soeharto), Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), Terrorism & Terrorists
