Burma’s Spring: Real lives in turbulent times

by Rosalind Russell

Burma’s Spring documents the struggles of ordinary people made extraordinary by circumstance. Rosalind Russell, a British journalist who came to live in Burma with her family, witnessed a time of unprecedented change in a secretive country that had been locked under military dictatorship for half a century.

Her memoir carries the reader through a turbulent era of uprising, disaster and political awakening with a vivid retelling of her encounters as an undercover reporter.

From the world famous democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to the broken-hearted domestic worker Mu Mu, a Buddhist monk to a punk, a palm reader to a girl band, these are stories of tragedy, resilience and hope – woven together in a vivid portrait of a land for so long hidden from view.

Genres: History, Travel, Nonfiction, Asia

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 14, 2014

About the author

Rosalind Russell is a journalist and editor with two decades of international experience. She has worked as a foreign correspondent for Reuters and the Independent in East Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Her reporting included the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq and Myanmar’s Saffron Revolution. Her first book, Burma’s Spring, was described by Asian Affairs as “reportage at its best” and reached number one in the UK Kindle non- fiction bestseller list. She lives in London with her husband and two daughters.

Reviews

[Mona · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there's time to read but one book about Burma this would be an excellent choice. The undercover reporter manages to gently weave in the history of Burma as she introduces us to a variety of people living in this unprecedented time. Basic to the book is the hope those interviewed are feeling that real change is happening and the future for Burma looks brighter than it has in fifty years. I especially appreciated the background on the 969 Buddhist nationalist movement and history of Moslems in Burma. It's heartbreaking to think about what could have been for Burma. Will palm reader Min Wai's prediction for 2015 come true? He is confident

[Calzean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the author was quite frustrated in the rules that applied while she lived in Burma. She could just scratch the surface on what was happening. Her best pieces were on her maid Mu Mu and fellow reporter Zayar. His experience after Cyclone Nargis was just plain sad. I just wanted to adopt Mu Mu.
The book covers Burma from 2005 to current day so has both before and after the change to more openness in Government, business and reporting. A good intro into current day Burma, but like I have said this book seems to only scratch the surface.

[Chin Joo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short book written from the perspective of “ordinary” people in Burma. Each chapter features one or two related people with a story that gives the reader a glimpse into the lives of the Myanmese and these people range from the really day-to-day folks to important political icons like Aung San Sun Kyi herself.

There is an underlying temporal arrangement to the book; the timeline started in the early 2000s and the people featured reflected the once dark and gloomy age of Myanmar. This slowly evolves into an optimistic outlook of as the book moved into the 2010s. It would have been great had Myanmar followed that trajectory but it was not to be.

It started with the persecution of the Rohingyas a few years ago and climaxed with the military coup that turned the country back to those dark days once again. The book, published in 2014, was seven years too early to witness this but if I can guess from how the author wrote about this country, she must be heart-broken, for I think she really loves the people of Myanmar.

Where will the country go from here? It’s hard to predict. If one can glean from the book, you have on one hand, an uncompromising yet incompetent military and on the other, a big enough group among the population that would not stop until democracy is restored. It’s still anybody’s guess.

[Anthony Stancomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

his is the best sort of journalistic book. It takes you to the heart of the country/subject without too much pre-amble, with the historical facts only being dropped in narrative when necessary.
The book shows the problems of the country by describing the lives of a dozen or so different people who range from dissidents to maids, monks and artists – each chapter telling the characters have had to live for the last few years. Through what happens to them, we see the struggle that the Burmese people have had, and how they have coped under such an oppressive regime.
The way they are portrayed is full of compassion, the writing is light and delightfully economic, and the author’s commentary is wise and witty.
Even if you have no previous knowledge of the area, the book is interesting on both a human and a political level. It should be required reading for anyone going to work in the area.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, the author rapidly establishes how difficult it is for her as a journalist to enter Burma, or should I say Myanmar, and undertake her usual job. It is clear from the early chapters that the state control has a grip on all lives of those living or entering the country.

Her writings, based on conversations, interviews and personal meetings with people from many walks of life make the political history of this country come to life in a vivid way. I found the chapter about Win Tin and his 19 years of imprisonment particularly difficult to comprehend.


Finally, I take this from a review posted by Mona 'If there's time to read but one book about Burma this would be an excellent choice'. This is a book which I would recommend to everybody.

[Kaina Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book, very insightful read

[Barbara Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burma from 2007 to 2014 through the eyes of ordinary and extraordinary people, as told to a journalist operating under and after censorship. Rosalind Russell lived in Rangoon from 2008 to 2010 when her husband was working for a relief agency. Interviewees include Aung San Suu Kyi on her release for house arrest, editor of the first free magazine, a monk and a Muslim leader of neighbourhood watch groups, a king's grandson and a punk rocker - and the children's nanny, a refugee in Thailand who finally plans to return to her town.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book
I knew nothing about Burma and the author really explained and made me travel with her in this amazing country
Well written
Beautiful told stories about everyone that featured

[Lisa Harlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, really helped me to understand Butma through the characters and their every day lives

[Joff Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burma Days and Burma's Spring sit comfortably alongside each other on my bookshelf. They both refuse to romanticize a country whose very names - Rangoon, Irrawaddy - conjure exotic visions of golden temples, mystical rivers and rickshaws. But in this book colonial buildings tend to be crumbling and adorned with nylon curtains and lino. Rosalind Russell, a professional journalist who lived in Burma under military dictatorship for three years, does a brilliant job of combining a series of mini-biographies, charming anecdotes and political background into a very readable book. Monks, punk-rockers, short-legged maids and brutal but starving soldiers share the stage with well-known dissidents. This is not to say that Russell writes about her subject without affection but she retains a journalist's objectivity and a canny eye for detail. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand modern Burma and its journey towards democracy at a deeper level.

[Jaymee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was afraid this was going to be the typical Western woman with a conquest in exotic dangerous Asian city, but she quickly changed gears by inserting historical accounts and issues that lead to what Myanmar is today, especially with her stories of the locals which she handled gently and with deftness; a feat, as the backdrop is the extreme harshness that the people encountered. Although admitting straight at the beginning that she was in search of life stories, it didn't feel forced. You get a clear picture of Myanmar, past and present, though not much has changed; in fact that is the point. Frightening that more than a decade after this book was written, a lot hasn't changed still, after my visit to the place. It's a book packed with what you need to know about Myanmar, but a painful read because of the subject matter.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into the lives of the Burmese people during a time of great change. Each chapter offers a slice of Burmese life from the viewpoints of a Buddhist monk, a young journalist, a political prisoner, a domestic worker, a girl band, Aung San Suu Kyi and others. Through the lives of these people, we are given a glimpse into life in Burma under military dictatorship and the subsequent period of unprecedented change.
Rosalind Russell, working as an undercover journalist, tells a compelling story using the words and experiences of real people. This is an interesting, informative, and very human portrayal of a country that has long been hidden.

[Chris Steeden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book on a country that I did not know much about. The lives of the people that the author spoke with are diverse and do bring Burma to life historically and also as it is now but for me there was not enough depth. I would have also liked some kind of chronological history to Burma. Not too much of a problem as I was able to jump in-and-out of Wikipedia to get this. Overall for an introduction to Burma this was very good.

[Jonathan Fryer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant piece of reportage by a woman who first went to Burma as an undercover reporter during the Saffrom Revolution of 2007, then moved to live there with her nGO worker husband. The chapters home in on the lives of a wide variety of subjects, from the author's maid to a girl band and Aung San Suu Kyi. The perfect introduction for anyone who wants a n understanding of what Myanmar is like today -- and how it got there.

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally I get to review this book. This book is a compelling collection of accounts of the ordinary Burmese people who went through amazing and extraordinary life experiences. The writer delicately captured and detailed the resilience of the human spirit of the Burmese people. Her interview accounts with Win Tin and Aung San Suu Kyi made a lasting impact on the way I will remember the struggles and strides made in attaining democracy in this beautiful country. Highly recommended!!

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was OK but could have been so much better. I felt there was a storyline there but it didn't engage the reader as much as it could have done.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating glimpses of Burma as it has changed over the last several years. Very much looking forward to hearing the author speak at the Irrawaddy Literary Festival in Mandalay this weekend!

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fantastic introduction to Myanmar told through quick snippets of people's lives. It's an easy, page-turner and really well written.

[Mg Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm tired of reading foreigners' views on Burma!

[Beth Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating piece of reportage, based on the author's experiences in Burma. I was gripped.