Read The World - East Timor - East Timor, A Nation's Bitter Dawn

Book: East Timore, A Nation's Bitter Dawn
Author: Irena Cristalis
Pages: 384
Book takes place in the country: YES
Author is from the country: NO
I have visited: NO

This is my 83rd book for the year.

I am going to be slowing down my reading.  I am actually proud of myself for finishing this one because I can hardly concentrate while I get ready for our trip back to the United States for the summer.  We leave in a few days, and I am just trying to wrap my head around packing for 6 weeks.

Due to my lack of brain power, here is google's review for this book:

"Few new nations have endured a birth as traumatic as that endured by Asia's youngest country, East Timor. Born amid the flames, pillage and mayhem that surrounded Indonesia 's reluctant withdrawal in 1999, it has been struggling for years to rebuild itself from the ashes. The author, one of a handful of journalists to refuse to be evacuated during the nightmarish Indonesian withdrawl, stayed on to report East Timor to the world, and to keep faith with the East Timorese whose story she wanted to tell.Her book is a vivid first-hand account of the lives of individual Timorese during the long decades of Indonesia 's repressive occupation, their often heroic struggle for freedom, and their efforts to cope with the dramatic historic shifts engulfing them and their endeavours to rebuild their homeland.

Based on years of research, and lengthy interviews with East Timor 's leaders, priests, nuns, students and guerrilla fighters, this moving and extremely readable book is at the same time also an exploration of the complexities of the country's internal politics."

I liked the book.  It is a little dry, but overall pretty well told.  It took a bit to get into it, but the stories of the victims were gripping.  I am glad I read it.

Sorry for the short review.  Just too much going on!

Stars: 3 1/2