Indonesian Destinies

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing...
Review: After seeing all the raving reviews of this book, I was excited to have a look myself.
Unfortunately, it turned out to be a major disappointment. Its coverage of Indonesia is largely focussed on Java, with very little attention paid to other islands. What is worse, I often found the style to be very much of populist journalism, aimed at uninformed readers, based on catchy phrases and anecdotes rather than hard facts. This is particularly evident when the author does deal with the outer islands, about which his knowledge seems to be, err, limited...
To give just 2 examples:
In the chapter on Aceh, the author makes a lot of fuss about how the Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, with its very "un-Javanese", Indian style expresses the orientation of the Acehnese towards West, rather than towards Java and the rest of Indonesia. What a poor example! He obviously failed to realize that the beautiful mosque in question was actually built by the Dutch colonialists (designed by an Italian architect), after they had destroyed the original, typically "Javanese-looking" Acehnese mosque previously standing there during their bloody conquest of Aceh, and is therefore an example of the westward orientation of the Dutch, not of the Acehnese!
In the chapter on the conflict in Ambon and the rest of Maluku, he puts much of the blame on the breakdown of traditional values due to westernization, claming the coming of cell-phones and McDonalds (among others) paved the way to the bloody events there. Oh dear... anyone familiar with Ambon (I was there in 1999 when the troubles started) will know that neither cell-phones nor McDonalds had made it to that remote island back then, so while the real roots of that conflict will probably never be fully revealed, they were certainly something rather more serious - and political.
Information from Indonesian policy-makers themselves? Well, the description of the one meeting he had with president Megawati described in the book tells us pretty much nothing besides the fact that Megawati could actually speak English!
I admit that having read such silly stuff and finding the style so populist, I put the book down without reading the whole lot.
I really think there are far better books on the history of Indonesia by more serious authors available even on Amazon, notably those by Kingsbury, Ricklefs, Taylor, and Bertrand - to name just a few.

Rating:
Summary: A through study of events in Indonesia over the years
Review: Every single page in this book offers a glimpse into the complexity of Indonesian society. As a reader, we are brought into understanding the social events that occurred in this country through differing point of views, from the powerful government, the simple yet hopeful citizens or foreigners that either fell in love with the country or somehow managed to get themselves tied to the country. As an Indonesian myself, I am thankful to Mr.Friend for this book. It is like a glass of water quenching the thirst of knowledge on the subject that has too long been oppressed in Indonesia itself. More than anything, this book serves its purpose well that is to make readers, both Indonesian and those affiliated, to question many unfortunate social disorders that had befallen upon this country. If Indonesia is heading toward to a better society, only a study into her past will guides her future. By ignoring the mistakes from the past social disorders, Indonesia will only fall back to the same state many years to come in the future, only a matter of time. This book put out the many issues for readers to discuss, to ponder and to question. From reading the book, we know as a reader that this book is written by a writer that really cares about the issues in Indonesia.

Rating:
Summary: A through study of events in Indonesia over the years
Review: Every single page in this book offers a glimpse into the complexity of Indonesian society. As a reader, we are brought into understanding the social events that occurred in this country through differing point of views, from the powerful government, the simple yet hopeful citizens or foreigners that either fell in love with the country or somehow managed to get themselves tied to the country. As an Indonesian myself, I am thankful to Mr.Friend for this book. It is like a glass of water quenching the thirst of knowledge on the subject that has too long been oppressed in Indonesia itself. More than anything, this book serves its purpose well that is to make readers, both Indonesian and those affiliated, to question many unfortunate social disorders that had befallen upon this country. If Indonesia is heading toward to a better society, only a study into her past will guides her future. By ignoring the mistakes from the past social disorders, Indonesia will only fall back to the same state many years to come in the future, only a matter of time. This book put out the many issues for readers to discuss, to ponder and to question. From reading the book, we know as a reader that this book is written by a writer that really cares about the issues in Indonesia.

Rating:
Summary: Eye opening even for Indonesians
Review: Theodore Friend has decades of research and personal experience living in this subcontinent that masquerades as a nation. The distinctive combination of personal anecdote and informed expertise (he's written several books on Southeast Asia) makes this book much more than a typical academic study. The data on which "Indonesian Destinies" is based is both broad and deep, covering, as other reviewers note, most facets of Indonesian history since World War Two. Friend also has a knack for addressing the issues informed US citizens associate with Indonesia---to the extent we think about this crucially important country at all: oil, gas, minerals and other economic resources; environmental concerns; Islamic radicalism; and most importantly, the ongoing internal struggle for a more just political culture and civil society, including the recent Timor tragedy. However, the abbreviated time-depth means that the work is not truly comprehensive, and thus complements other landmark studies, instead of supplanting them. These include J.G. Taylor, "Indonesia: Peoples & Histories," stronger on pre-1900 history, from an Australian perspective; and A. Reid, "Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce," which masterfully examines regional structures and continuities. Friend's lively and sensitive study sets a very high standard for US readers, at least until Indonesians themselves are permitted to reach an international audience with their own interpretations. For this, one can begin with the many novels by Pramoedya Toer, along with "The Mute's Soliloquy," his collection of prison and political writings. There is also Kartini, "Letters of a Javanese Princess," by the sadly shortlived but pioneering Indonesian feminist from a century ago.

Rating:
Summary: Best Work On Indonesia For Americans {4 1/2 Stars}
Review: Theodore Friend has decades of research and personal experience living in this subcontinent that masquerades as a nation. The distinctive combination of personal anecdote and informed expertise (he's written several books on Southeast Asia) makes this book much more than a typical academic study. The data on which "Indonesian Destinies" is based is both broad and deep, covering, as other reviewers note, most facets of Indonesian history since World War Two. Friend also has a knack for addressing the issues informed US citizens associate with Indonesia---to the extent we think about this crucially important country at all: oil, gas, minerals and other economic resources; environmental concerns; Islamic radicalism; and most importantly, the ongoing internal struggle for a more just political culture and civil society, including the recent Timor tragedy. However, the abbreviated time-depth means that the work is not truly comprehensive, and thus complements other landmark studies, instead of supplanting them. These include J.G. Taylor, "Indonesia: Peoples & Histories," stronger on pre-1900 history, from an Australian perspective; and A. Reid, "Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce," which masterfully examines regional structures and continuities. Friend's lively and sensitive study sets a very high standard for US readers, at least until Indonesians themselves are permitted to reach an international audience with their own interpretations. For this, one can begin with the many novels by Pramoedya Toer, along with "The Mute's Soliloquy," his collection of prison and political writings. There is also Kartini, "Letters of a Javanese Princess," by the sadly shortlived but pioneering Indonesian feminist from a century ago.

Rating:
Summary: Eye opening even for Indonesians
Review: This book is the most comprehensive and yet not-too-hard read on Indonesian independence history that I have found. With detailed accounts of important events, vivid descriptions, and personal experience, Theodore Friend is able to weave together a compelling story about the complexity of the Indonesian history since independence. The crucial facts and theories are insightful if not eye-opening, especially for Indonesians who have not been exposed to the nation's history from an outsider perspective.