Rating: 
Summary: An Amazing Story
Review: Pascal Khoo Thwe has written a clear and sensitive story of how it feels to come from a rural small town in Burma and, overcoming initial loneliness and feelings of inferiority, go on to excell in scholarship. Growing up in a Karenni village, he masters Burmese and English, survives having a price put on his head, escapes to freedom through the jungle and overcomes tremendous obstacles to finally study successfully at Cambridge.I have lived in both Burma and Thailand, worked among the Karen and Shan people, but the author adds dimensions that I had only dimly been aware of.
His accounts travel in rural Asia, the taunts of enemy soldiers in battle, the terror of flight through unknown territory, and many other vignettes make the reader feel like he is there. Khoo Thwe is a natural-born story teller. I hope he writes more.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful requiem for a simple life destroyed
Review: Pascal Khoo Thwe opens this extraordinary book with the sentence: "When I was young I used to watch the rising sun with amazement." Incredibly, Khoo Thwe sustains our amazement as he relates the corruption of Burma through his eyes while growing up in its remote mountains. His words are informative and caring, painting not with the brush of pity as he portrays his home village and his family in their humble lives, but with one of deference and honor. "From the Land of Green Ghosts" is more than an autobiography and more than a history: it is a testament to a young man's persistent search for truth and a place in life where he can just be happy. The author's prosaic language is suited well for the narrative, and a fine example of how well the author learned English in so short a time when his goals were achieved. It is also a sorrowful tale because the woes of the Burmese remain, the grip is still retained by the military junta. I highly recommend this book, as well as "The Stone of Heaven" by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended read
Review: This book is so beautiful. It is a true pleasure to read due to both the prose and the astounding life experiences the author has gone through. It gives one a fascinating glimpse into the life of the Padaung and Burmese in general, while detailing out the tumultuous political situation of that country. It is a lovely book and hard to put down. It is an immensely rewarding read.
Rating:
Summary: Freedom and democracy
Review: This is a story about a man who wants to be free. He gave his reasons and I find it so stimulating to hear his life story. Elvis, the Gospel music, Jim Reeves, Janis Joplin and all that. It is such a good read. It is such an uplifting experience despite the pains and the sorrows. They are part of our lives. Don't you think? Jerry
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Book
Review: This is a wonderful book and a very interesting read. It offers a both a detailed description of life growing up in a hill tribe in Burma and a broader look at the tragic consequences of years of totalitarian rule by the corrupt and failed government of Burma (now "officially" Myanmar). The author's journey to the border and subsequent escape from the country almost reads like a fiction novel. However, this true story is written with the respect and insight of a man well aware of the gravity of his country's plight. His book does the reader, and the people of his troubled country, a great service.
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