by Leslie Kean
First published 1995
In a land where golden Buddhist temples rise from saffron rice fields, Aung San Suu Kyi becomes the voice of a nation silenced by thirty years of military dictatorship. Burma sits beneath the Himalayas, a country once called the pearl of Asia, now cut off from the world by its brutal rulers. The military regime controls every aspect of life in this culturally rich nation, responding to peaceful protests with savage violence. On August 8, 1988, soldiers crush a nonviolent demonstration with the same brutality witnessed at Tiananmen Square. Suu Kyi emerges as Burma's beacon of hope, advocating for democracy through peaceful resistance despite facing house arrest and constant threats. Her courage wins her the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, though she cannot leave Burma to accept it. Through documentary photographs smuggled from the country and Suu Kyi's own words, this book reveals both the pastoral beauty of Burma and the fierce determination of its people. The story captures a nation's hunger for freedom and one woman's refusal to abandon her country's fight for justice.
Genres: biography, history, political-science, non-fiction, activism, asian-american
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: beacon-of-hope, courage, determination
Setting: Asia, Burma, Himalayas
Period: 1988, 20th-century
112 pages · Hardcover · Aperture
Content warnings: violence