Myanmar

You’ve Changed

In this electric debut essay collection, a Myanmar millennial playfully challenges us to examine the knots and complications of immigration status, eating habits, Western feminism in an Asian home, and more, guiding us toward an expansive idea of what it means to be a Myanmar woman today.

What does it mean to be a Myanmar person—a baker, swimmer, writer and woman—on your own terms rather than those of the colonizer? These irreverent yet vulnerable essays ask that question by tracing the journey of a woman who spent her young adulthood in the US and UK before returning to her hometown of Yangon, where she still lives.

In You’ve Changed, Pyae takes on romantic relationships whose futures are determined by different passports, switching accents in American taxis, the patriarchal Myanmar concept of hpone which governs how laundry is done, swimming as refuge from mental illness, pleasure and shame around eating rice, and baking in a kitchen far from white America’s imagination.

Throughout, she wrestles with the question of who she is—a Myanmar woman in the West, a Western-educated person in Yangon, a writer who refuses to be labeled a “race writer.” With intimate and funny prose, Pyae shows how the truth of identity may be found not in stability, but in its gloriously unsettled nature.

“A fresh and insightful debut.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Readers are gifted a funny, insightful, and beautifully written collection of essays . . . A must for your bookshelf . . . Incisive and exciting.” —Sarah Neilson, Shondaland

“Decisive and deft . . . Reading You’ve Changed is akin to conversing late into the night with an intelligent friend.” —Jisu Kim, LIBER: A Feminist Review

“A vivacious debut nonfiction collection showcasing wise-beyond-her-years insight (she’s 25 in her first essay), biting impatience, and plenty of unfiltered humor . . . Illuminating, entertaining essays about coming of age between languages, cultures, and born-into and chosen families.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Thought-provoking, poignant, and a delight to read . . . A refreshingly honest, original exploration of personal identity.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

(A special thank you to book club member, Karen Van Drie for the suggestion.)

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Bones Will Crow

On a rooftop
Under the moon
My soul sits like an aristocrat
While my body rests
In a dimly lit corner.
—Aung Cheimt

“An illuminating account of real Myanmar narrated by uncensored and often deviant Burmese, who dare to dream and challenge the norms. Myanmar Studies scholars and literature fans often lament the lack of authentic Burmese voices in print, accessible to the world outside Burma. Bones will Crow not only fills this gap but also presents the readers a counter-narrative of 'exotic' Burma often associated with golden pagodas and smiling faces. Daily struggles under crony capitalism, confronting commercialization of female bodies, an exile's homesickness, issues Burmese grapple with leap out of the pages of this anthology. This anthology is a long overdue, much-welcomed addition.” —Tharapi Than, PhD, Teaching Fellow and Lector in Burmese (University of London)

This is the first anthology of contemporary Burmese poets published in the West, and includes the work of Burmese poets who have been in exile and in prison. The poems include global references from a culture in which foreign books and the internet are regarded with suspicion and where censorship is an industry. The poets have been ingenious in their use of metaphor to escape surveillance and censorship, writing post-modern, avant-garde, performance and online poetries. Through their wildly diverse styles, these poems delight in the freedom to experiment with poetic tradition.

“A highly-anticipated anthology of 15 diverse Burmese poets spanning several generations, whose contribution to the continual fight against the suppression of democracy and free speech is even more necessary now. These poets are essential reading for the wider world for their historical perspective and experimental approaches to poetry and poetics.” —Poetry Review

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Letters from Burma

In these astonishing letters, Aung San Suu Kyi reaches out beyond Burma’s* borders to paint for her readers a vivid and poignant picture of her native land. Here, she celebrates the courageous army officers, academics, actors and everyday people who have supported the National League for Democracy, often at great risk to their own lives. She reveals the impact of political decisions on the people of Burma, from the terrible cost to the children of imprisoned dissidents—allowed to see their parents for only fifteen minutes every fortnight—to the effect of inflation on the national diet and of state repression on traditions of hospitality. She also evokes the beauty of the country’s seasons and scenery, customs and festivities that remain so close to her heart. Through these remarkable letters, the reader catches a glimpse of exactly what is at stake as Suu Kyi fights on for freedom in Burma, and of the love for her homeland that sustains her non-violent battle.

Aung San Suu Kyi is the leader if the struggle for human rights and democracy in Burma. Born in 1945 as the daughter of Burma’s national hero Aung San, she was two years old when he was assassinated, just before Burma gained the independence to which he has dedicated his life. She herself was placed under house arrest in Rangoon in 1989, where she remained for almost 15 of the 21 years until her release in 2010, becoming one of the world’s most prominent political prisoners & a Nobel Peace prize winner.

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*P.S. Confused why this book refers to Burma & not Myanmar? As noted by AP News in the article, Myanmar, Burma and why the different names matter: “For generations, the country was called Burma, after the dominant Burman ethnic group. But in 1989, one year after the ruling junta brutally suppressed a pro-democracy uprising, military leaders suddenly changed its name to Myanmar. By then, Burma was an international pariah, desperate for any way to improve its image. Hoping for a sliver of legitimacy, it said it was discarding a name handed down from its colonial past and to foster ethnic unity. The old name, officials said, excluded the country’s many ethnic minorities.

At home, though, it changed nothing. In the Burmese language, ‘Myanmar’ is simply the more formal version of ‘Burma. The country’s name was changed only in English.

It was linguistic sleight-of-hand. But few people were fooled. Much of the world showed defiance of the junta by refusing to use the new name. Over the years, many countries and news outlets, including The Associated Press, had begun using the country’s official name. As repression eased and international opposition to the military became less vocal, ‘Myanmar’ became increasingly common. Inside the country, opposition leaders made clear it didn’t matter much anymore. Unlike most of the world, the U.S. government still officially uses ‘Burma.’ But even Washington has started to mellow its stance. In 2012, during a visit to the country, then-President Barack Obama used both ‘Burma’ and ‘Myanmar.’”