Okay, here we go with reviews and interviews from the other side of the world!

Doret at the Happy Nappy Bookseller enjoyed Bitter Sweets: "his is a family saga that begins with a lie. Sometimes family sagas can be a little tedious and slow moving. This however moves at a nice pace and the language is beautiful, smart and funny. I highly recommend Bitter Sweets, you won't be disappointed."

The YA YA YAs took a look at several Filipino titles: "Bagets, which Pacis co-edited with Eugene Y. Evasco, is a collection of 16 stories, eight written in Filipino and eight in English. Pacis also wrote an introduction to the second half of the collection, the English-language section, called “From Behind the Bookshelf: Literature for Young Adults in the Philippines.” In it, she writes, 'The genre of literature for young adults (YA) is still in its infant stages in the Philippines—even younger than its sibling, children’s literature—and not yet fully understood or integrated into the academic and literary circles.” (p. 87) In addition, “No subject is taboo or inappropriate in young adult literature. In the US and UK today, the line between YA and adult literature is almost invisible in terms of the themes and subject matter that authors choose. This is not the same with Filipino YA literature that can be characterized as being conservative."

Jennie at Biblio File writes about This Earth of Mankind: "While this is certainly a damning look at the colonial regime, it is a lushly told story that shows a society on the edge. The edge of the technological advances that the twentieth century would bring and the edge of a revolution. It also tells the story of a boy on the edge of becoming a man."

Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot writes about a new entry in the Trese gn series: "These are supernatural mysteries, yes, but what makes them so interesting is that they're based on Filipino mythology and folklore. Like her father before her, Alexandra Trese knows how to deal with the mysterious world that hides beneath the surface of Manila. Within these pages we encounter duwendes, the Laman Lupa, the tikanak, lightening elemental spirits, and even dragons and zombies."

Zarah at School Librarian in Action writes about author and doctor, Luis Gatmaitan: "Known in the local children's industry as Tito Dok (Uncle Doctor), he has fortified himself as the leading writer for children on health and hygiene issues. His Tito Dok Series is on its fifteenth book now. From asthma to sore eyes, colds and dengue fever, Tito Dok has educated, entertained and healed countless Filipino children from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao."

Liz at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy interviews Aline Pereira of Paper Tigers: "Some of the central ideas motivating PaperTigers were to celebrate the common humanity we all share, while also recognizing, respecting, and celebrating diverse cultures; and to help overcome stereotypes and prejudice that could diminish awareness of and respect for the humanity of "the other", whoever and wherever that "other" is."


Pam at Mother Reader writes about When Heaven Fell: "Written for elementary school students, When Heaven Fell is a wonderful view of life in Vietnam. The characters are engaging and real, all with their own flaws and blind spots. While not focusing on the war with Vietnam, the author gives a look into the conflict from the point of the innocent victims. The reader also gets to see an impression of America from afar."

Tanita Davis got very frustrated trying to find a book to read and review: "India was fine, but I wanted novels set in Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. I wanted Malaysia, the Philippines, East Timor, Sri Lanka and Indonesia to leap off the page at me. And I found all of these countries in books, but they were either nonfiction -- and reeked of tourism boards -- or they were textbooks, with titles that began, "The Changing Face Of..." and "Recent Trends And Challenges In..." The Visual Geography series is richly illustrated with quality photographs, and filled with the gently lecturing tone of a social studies teacher. I can tell you the import and export and annual rainfall of a lot of places. I can tell you the attitude toward education, and women, in case you wanted to know."

Niranjana Iyer reviews The Book of Salt by Monique Truong: "The relationship between colonizer and colonized is perhaps ultimately a story of betrayal. The mother country’s claims of its moral and intellectual superiority justify its right to rule—a justification which proves hollow in the face of its treatment of the colonized. Binh, to me, is emblematic of the relationship between France and Vietnam; the betrayal at the national level is mirrored in the life story of this one Vietnamese man. In Saigon, Binh is abandoned by his French lover, following which he leaves for France to find employment as a cook. France, however, never lets him forget that he is a servant. His employers often fire him when they tire of his “exoticism”; Binh of course has little recourse to justice in such situations. And Stein and Toklas, for all their enlightened ways, are often cruel to him, showing more concern for their beloved dogs’ well-being than Binh’s, calling him their “Little Indo-Chinese”, and much more."

At Finding Wonderland, a. fortis provides a list of resources across the web for SE Asia titles: "And can we just say how difficult it is to find YA literature that specifically focuses on these regions? Clearly there is a rich area of experience that readers are missing out on--and readers of Southeast Asian heritage aren't seeing their experiences reflected as often as they could be."

Sherry from Semicolon has two posts, one on Vietnam titles and one on Cambodia books. Here's a bit from Sherry on Hitchhiking Vietnam by Karin Muller: "The book, while fascinating in its descriptions of modern Vietnam from a foreigner’s perspective, didn’t stir my sense of adventure, nor did it make me want to hop on a plane for Vietnam. But don’t go by me. Eldest Daughter told me today that I was a stick in the mud, and my idea of a wonderful trip involves London, Oxford, Cambridge, and Stratford-on-the-Avon. I think I’ll stick with the armchair travel route to Asia since I’m spoiled by basic conveniences such as flush toilets and clean drinking water and food that doesn’t contain parasites."

Mary Ann from Great Kid Books looks at two stories from Cambodia: "The author of The Stone Goddess, Minfong Ho, was born in Burma and grew up in Thailand, working in 1980 in refugee camps on the Thai-Cambodian border. It is clear through her novel that she empathizes deeply with Khmer refugees like Nakri. It's a powerful story that would captivate tweens and teens (grades 5 and above) who want to know more about this hard period of history and how one family struggled to survive."

Little Willow has an interview with Autumn Cornwall, author of the Carpe Diem, a YA novel about a backpack trip through....SE Asia! Here's a bit: "My trip journals are also jam-packed with labels off bottles, boat tickets, sketches, flowers, money, and even candy wrappers (I still have the box from a chocolate Crunky bar picked up in Japan years ago). I love the tactile effect. It triggers memories just like photos - and sometimes even more so. Because, for me, it conjures up a whole scene instantly. (Like a certain coaster instantly evokes the entire month I spent writing Carpe Diem at a 1950s era guesthouse in Bangkok: the conversations I had with fellow writers, the humidity, the swing music, and the thom kha khai soup and lime juice atop the coaster on the table in front of me . . . )"

Paper Tigers chimes in with a post that includes links to multiple titles set in the region including a Malaysian tale: "The Bee Tree, written by Stephen Buchmann and Diana Cohn, illustrated by Paul Mirocha (Cinco Puntos), is a coming-of-age story that blends “myth, geography, and harvest and Islamic rituals to create a rich tapestry of multicultural experiences”."

Over at Teens Read and Write, there are three books discussed, including, Song of the Buffalo Boy, Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam and The Killing Sea. Here's a bit from the Buffalo Boy review: "All and all, a great book that keeps a steady pace and your interest. It's a quiet story with depth and meaning, that touches on prejudice, cultural beliefs, family loyalty, acceptance, forgiveness and of course love. It's a novel with a lot to offer." (All three posts are linked to in one post by Alyssa for handing reading.)

The Seven Imps chime in with an interview with Jan Reynolds, author of Cycle of Rice, Cycle of Lifeset in Bali: "Because I shoot my own illustrations with a camera, I begin books visually, even while I’m in the field shooting. I travel to my site, and I have a vague idea of what my subject will be — and start looking for general photos to illustrate my idea. Then I see soooooo much more than my research taught me, and I shoot a ton more. When I get home, I lay out my photos in a story line, {and} then I write it."

Carol Rasco at RIF looked at Cinderella stories from the region: "It would be interesting in a classroom to have children discuss what these covers alone might predict about the story of Cinderella in the countries as well as whether there are any hints as to how the stories might be the same as and/or different from the story of Cinderella as we know it in America." She also has a second post up looking at books for older children from Indonesia and Thailand: "Author Shea has beautifully and realistically portrayed the American teen culture, and the battles between Mai’s cousins and their parents already in America are quite believable, as well as the temptations and barriers faced by Mai. This is a good book for mature early teen independent readers. And perhaps with some parent/teacher guidance, the book will give them a more complete perspective on the life of teen immigrants coming to America. "

Tarie reviewed a Filipino YA novel in English, Playing it Safe: "I could not stop smiling while reading. I even had to stop every few pages because I would hunch over laughing. I was so amused and so entertained by Jon's story, and I found Jon and Sheila, their lives, and their relationship so interesting and so refreshing. (There aren't many Filipino YA novels in English about sports, university life, and relationships!)"

And my own entry at Chasing Ray, When the War Was Over by Elizabeth Becker: "The horror of the Tuol Sleng prison is covered at length and if you have never read about it then it will break your heart. It is the pictures from Tuol Sleng that always get me - and that nearly all of those people are dead for reasons that escape any sane person. I don't think there are enough tears in the world for what happened to the men, women and children of Tuol Sleng."

[Post pics: Bangkok, Thailand; Singapore; Vietnamese girl; Xe Bang Fai River Cave in central Laos, Nat Geo photo; An island village in the Philippines courtesy National Geographic, Photograph by Paul Chesley/Getty Images; Bike Ride in Cambodia, Nat Geo.]