Fear and Paranoia in Burma

This book was a random acquisition and comes with a bit of backstory. I was reporting in Mandalay, central Burma, on a number of stories, and one of them required me to interview a comedy troupe that is known for staging vaudevillian shows that harpoons the country’s authoritarian regime. Now that Burma is considered a democracy, this comedy troupe is still putting up nightly shows for tourists, making fun of the fact that the current government is really a puppet for the military. One of the comedians passed me Timothy Syrota’s book, and told me that him and his family members were mentioned in it. He said that it was “banned in Burma.” I brought it back to my hotel to read those chapters, but ended up just finishing it in one night.

Published in 2001, Syrota’s book is an account of his travels in Burma in the late 1990s (I think 1999) as a backpacker. Though Syrota claims to be a “writer” living in Bangkok, it’s not clear in what capacity — but it is certainly not as a journalist. I say this because there are many points throughout the book where he displays sheer naiveté and ignorance. For example, I find it extremely difficult to believe that he has never heard of Aung San Suu Kyi before he arrived in Burma, especially if he’s done cursory research into traveling around the country.

To read more of my review, visit my blog. I also wrote a bit about my personal experiences traveling through Burma, which is why I was quite taken by Syrota’s book.