Page 92 - Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam

Laos

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set in Laos featuring Dr. Siri Paiboun as the detective.

?SP >[T]T_ .L_NSP^ DZ` LYO DZ` 1LWW /ZbY by Anne Fadiman (Culture/Medicine) A sympathetic
look at the culture clash between the Hmong parents of Lia, a child with epilepsy, and her
American doctors.

Cambodia

, 3T^_Z]d ZQ .LXMZOTL by David Chandler (History) A clear and succinct account of modern
Cambodia that starts in 1953 and extends to the rise and fall of the Khmer Rouge, the death of
the noxious Pol Pot in the late 1990s, and the return of peace to this lovely land.

1T]^_ ?SPd 6TWWPO 8d 1L_SP]% , /L`RS_P] ZQ .LXMZOTL =PXPXMP]^ by Loung Ung (Memoir) A
personal account of Ung’s experiences throughout the Khmer Rouge years as a survivor of the
Pol Pot regime.

2ZWOPY -ZYP^ ,Y 0c_]LZ]OTYL]d 5Z`]YPd Q]ZX 3PWW TY .LXMZOTL _Z L 9Pb 7TQP TY ,XP]TNL by Sichan
Siv (Memoir) Deputy Ambassador to the UN during the Bush administration, Siv looks back on
a remarkable life, from his privileged childhood in Pochentong to the murderous reign of Pol
Pot, his escape from a work camp to freedom and, eventually, life in America.

8LYd 8LYd 8LYd 2ZO^ ZQ 3TYO`T^X by Swami Achuthananda or 3TYO`T^X% , AP]d >SZ]_ 4Y_]ZO`N_TZY
by Kim Knott (Religion) Although the primary focus of these books is on Indian Hinduism,
some previous travelers felt that knowing about the Hindu religion is helpful to put the Angkor
temples in context.

:Od^^Pd 2`TOP ,YRVZ] .LXMZOTLɪ^ BZYO]Z`^ 6SXP] ?PX[WP^ by Dawn Rooney Considered by many
as the indispensable guide to Khmer culture and history.

Vietnam

, -]TRS_ >STYTYR 7TP by Neil Sheehan (History/Memoir) This book details the Vietnam War
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Vann, who strongly disagreed with his superiors on the direction the war was taking and
America’s chances of winning.

.L_ʭ^S LYO 8LYOLWL by Andrew X. Pham (Memoir/Travel Narrative) A Vietnamese-American
decides to revisit the land of his birth and some painful memories. This touching book
balances the story of the author’s escape from Vietnam in 1977 and his subsequent return
about 20 years later to tour by bicycle.

.ZXX`YTZY% , .`WTYL]d 5Z`]YPd ?S]Z`RS ATP_YLX by Kim Fay (Food). Part cookbook and part
travelogue, this book charts the return of Fay to Vietnam for a culinary safari after a ten-year
absence. Beautiful, bold photographs and stories about the chefs accompany authentic recipes.

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