Bali: Heaven and Hell

by Phil Jarratt

Heaven and Hell is a lively cultural and social history of Australia’s favourite holiday island. Detailing the island’s tumultous and often violent past, its mythology, religion and politics, and the last 50 years of western colonization and modern development. It is a place that both appeals and repels. Together with substantial knowledge and research of the island’s early history, Phil Jarratt has plenty of personal first hand experience from the early 70s Bali and so takes the reader on a fascinating and personal journey back into another time and place. Extensive interviews with participants from this time in Bali feature to provide a unique first hand view of the dramatic changes and developments that have taken place. There is no doubt that Bali is a popular destination for holiday makers from around Australia and represents many different things –for numerous young it is their first destination overseas, for some it is a spiritual destination, for some just a place to go and get sun, sex and cheap booze etc., for some a luxurious high end experience, for others a profitable business opportunity. In any regard it has an enduring appeal with many making a regular pilgrimage there despite the dark and dangerous things that have occurred there.

Genres: History, Asia, Nonfiction

406 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2014

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out great, and then went downhill. The first facts of Bali's settlers/destroyers we're most interesting, and some events in the history of Bali, such as the killings known as Gestapu really fascinated me.

But as the book continued, it seemed to lose focus-there seemed to be too much attention given to championship surfers, who while they probably had great influence on Bali, aren't all that influenced it.

What was given no or scant attention, (or maybe I just missed it), was:
(1) How did Bali become such a spiritual place that Westerners seek out?
(2) How did Ubud not only become spiritual, but such a hot spot with Western tourists? (Eat, Pray, Love is mentioned, but I find it difficult to believe it was a nothing place before the book/movie). Ubud is an inland community, so it couldn't have been the surfers.
(3) Exactly how did Kuta Beach go from a place for surfers to what it is today? (just a built-up overdeveloped beach front for young Australian spring breakers that has a reputation for being law less-often resembling Coney Island more then an island paradise) Are there steps to reign in the lawlessness? Does it affect tourism?

At times, this book, particularly the later part-seemed like more of an excuse to interview old friends then to write a comprehensive history.

[Ross Mcneil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really worried going into this book, as a new Bali convert I was worried it was going to be too negative and over sensationalised as the media love to do with Bali at the moment.

How wrong I was? This book is a well written well reasoned tale. It traces Bali's story and history through the ages and represents a nostalgic picture of this island. I can also understand the authors concern about the future of this island;

I only discovered Bali in 2012 so sadly didn't get to enjoy the glory days like Phil describes from the past, but I can just hope that Bali can survive the current tourist thirst and that generations will be able to enjoy it forever.

Even if you never thought about going to Bali I still recommend the book, it's a wonderful read and also a wonderful example of what can happen when politicians try to "improve" an island.....

[Tiemu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always disliked the idea of Bali: a tourist hub for feral or obnoxious backpackers, unfriendly local cherletans, corrupt policemen, polluted overcrowded beaches, and all thinking it a 'paradise'. After reading Phil Jarratt's book I still think all remains, but I can see the positives of Bali as well.

The book really is written in three different sections. The first third covers a historical account of Bali. Once the Dutch traders and colonialists enter the picture the book delves more into the personalities that are shaping Bali's history, up to the end of World War Two.

What I would designate the second section covers the old modern Bali, that is from the 1950's to the 1970's. This was a kind of wild west Asian mecca for westerners looking for an alternative lifestyle, especially surfers, backpackers and hippies. There are some interesting characters told there, and some readers might find it too focused on some probably insignificant surfer-scammers whose life revolves around being intoxicated on drugs and discovering and surfing some of the world's best surf spots. Readers who enjoy surfing will read on in envy, whilst people hoping for a more general history might find these stories uninteresting or irrelevant.

The third section of the book would be the modern Bali, which has become a mainstream tourist destination from the 1980's onnwards. Typical problems like rampant development and environmental pollution are explained, again through the viewpoints of individual long-term foreign residents and some local Balinese.

What I liked about Phil Jarratt's account of Bali is its fairness to Bali. It can be heaven, it can be hell. What it is depends largely on who you encounter, which part of the island you find yourself on, and your own perspective. It's interesting that a number of surfers and small businesspeople have visited but never left from Bali; others who helped popularised Bali like Albert Falzon who filmed segments of Bali in his 1970's surf film 'Morning of the Earth' live in New South Wales and don't plan on going back.

I myself never intended to visit Bali; if I wanted a warm tropical climate with friendly spiritual people I'd visit Myanmar. But after this book I plan to visit some day after all. But not without doing a lot of research beforehand, so I can experience more of the heaven (friendly locals, lush jungle, clean waters, tasty food) and less of the hell (pushy aggressive touts, concrete jungles with pot-holed roads, polluted overcrowded waters, and boring westernised food just to name a few).

[John Collings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anybody who has been to Bali has fallen in love with the culture and the experience of relaxing on this paradise, but I really wanted to know more about it. Why was this small island the only place of Hindu influence even though it was a part of the largest Muslim country in the world? How has this place been able to maintain its culture while still experiencing the boom of expats coming to take over this little paradise? Where did this creative aspect come from in an obvious tourist industry, and how does Bali maintain its unique approach to everything they create? This book did an excellent job of answering all of these questions as well as giving me a picture of the violent history that I did know existed with this small island paradise. The best part of the whole story was the way it was written. Phil Jarratt is an old surfer who was able to experience the boom of this place, and tells the tale from that perspective. He doesn't hold back any punches either as he explains how Bali has changed over the years, and why those changes have come about. He included the perspective of the colorful characters that inhabited this history and sometimes they are not the big politicians or military leaders that you would expect from a history book. He found the artists, chefs, surfers, and entrepreneurs that helped shape Bali. It is a great informative and pleasurable read. Anybody planning to visit this place should read this book first to give themselves a perspective of the paradise they are about to enjoy.

[Rany Handayani · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to know more about Balinese history from the expats/foreigners point of view, I would recommend this book. As an Indonesian who lives in Bali, it's quite disturbing for me to know that the tourism industry in Bali has improved the economy of the island but on one side, it slowly destroys the island too. But I still have one takeaway from the book, which is a quote from one of the foreigners who has been living in Bali for more than 20 years, "We are not Balinese and we can never be. What we can contribute to Bali is by being a good guest."

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out well but lost interest quickly. In the end seemed to be the sort of story that would end with a " ... Ah I guess you had to be there". Constant name dropping of apparently famous designers/surfers etc does zero to cultivate excitement in the book. Contains large excerpts that provide no quality of content but is what high schoolers do to reach a word count. Final chapter on the executions wasn't even about the executions but predominantly land rights which appears to show the authors agenda more than interest of readers.

[David Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating even if you don't know Bali that well

I picked this up after reading an extract in a surf magazine. My interest was more the surf culture side, which is covered in detail and with great insight. But I found the historical, political and environmental aspects just as fascinating, and that was down to the quality of the writing. Definitely worth reading.

[Sean Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I was visiting Bali for a couple of weeks, I thought I might read something about the history of the island. This book gave me a good overview, starting with the first contacts between the Balinese and Europeans and ending in 2014 when the book was written. The author is an expat whose contact with Bali dates back to 1974 and the book is an excellent read.

[Bing Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history worthy of Bali

Unzoned. Overbuilt,teeming with life: that’s the book as well as the geography.
You bump into interesting people, who disappear as you are getting to know them. If Studs Terkel has retired to Bali, he might have written this.

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging read.

One-part historical summary of the island of Bali, one-part inventory of significant “bule” expats, culminating in an analysis of the problems Bali faces and local efforts of expats to resolve them.

[Rodrigo Mascarenhas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book!! Loved every page of it!! I have been living in Bali for 25 years and it was great to learn so much about the very early days and read stories of so many people I know. Brilliantly written!! Matur Suksma!!🙏🏻

[Steve Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this on my first ever trip to Bali - highly recommended. Jarratt has created a balanced account of what is a historically complicated, and yet very spiritual island, without trivialising its present challenges.

[Todd Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read !

[Janice Ang · Rating 3 out of 5]

fascinating, but boring towards the end.

[Mikael Kalstad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dårlig skrevet, men bra og viktig info

[Kris Maddaford · Rating 4 out of 5]

really interesting history of bali for the first half of the book

[Tash Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read and written in an interestingly factual way. The authors way of writing enabled me to envision the events. Brings a real insight into Bali beyond the holidaying location

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skim this page and you'll see a wide range of ratings for this book, and I think I know one reason why: it's really two books. The first is an excellent short history of Bali (up to 1946) for beginners, comprising Chapters 2 to 7. The rest is very readable and interesting but is something quite different: an account of the experiences and impact of Westerners on the now-touristy parts of the island (Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua, Ubud, etc.). Along the way, it reflects on what has been happening to Bali by way of mis/development and who some of the culprits are. If that was the brief Jarratt set himself, he's done it well.
Don't expect to learn anything much at all about the rest of the island or anything deep about Bali's complicated culture. For that, there are other books. However, as a sort of primer for people going to Bali for their first or repeated time, it's well worth a read.
(PS: My in-laws are Balinese and I've lived there for over a year in total.

[Robin Bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic contemporary view of the bloody history of Bali from its beginnings, right up to 2015. It is written in clear journalistic style with the principles of journalism clearly at work. Historical facts are verified and footnoted, and later in the book, people living in Bali are interviewed about their own history in parallel with Bali's key events. This is a great read if you want to know how Bali suffered in its early history, how the tourism bubble grew to bursting, and how the local Balinese as well as migrants to the island have made their fortunes and contributed to the community at the same time. There are also some great surfing stories about legends of the sport.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

THANK YOU

Thank you Phil for this wonderful book , I too am joined at the hip to Bali. The history was fascinating and the second half was great . I hope all us Bali lovers will act NOW to help with future problems which are going to ruin this beautiful island and affect the lives of the most lovely people - The Balinese .

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good overview of Bali history. Probably shouldn't be read in isolation if you are really interested in the history of this magical island, but a good factual yet easy to read holiday book written by an Aussie journalist who has been visiting the island to surf for over thirty years. Worthwhile for any regular visitor to Bali.

[David Boyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't been toBali yet, but this book is a great intro to anyone who intends visiting the Island,

[Eddie Cranswick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical account of Bali.