On the Shadow Tracks
A Journey through Occupied Myanmar

Today, I happened to read the article Back to ‘Normal’: Rethinking State–Society Relations in Myanmar by Htet Hlaing Win, which I find relevant to this book. In the article, Htet Hlaing Win argues that successive Myanmar governments, influenced by pre-modern Burmese rulers, have historically priorit......more

I never would have thought that an examination of Myanmar's railway system would produce the most unique look at an isolated & devastated country that I've read in some time. But Clare Hammond manages to pack in a great deal of history and empathy into this look at the price paid by people for decad......more

An excellent read that manages to leverage very niche reportage - new railway lines built by Myanmar’s military junta - to narrate a broader exploration of the political, social, economic, and environmental challenges facing the country. Hammond has both travelled fearlessly and written empathetical......more

This book is an absolutely incredible read. I am not one for educational nonfiction books and find most stats and facts very hard to retain, but this is written as a travelogue—weaving personal travel stories around hard-hitting data—and the result is a story I don’t think I’ll ever forget. The most......more

A powerful but readable story of a journalist who sets off around Myanmar on its old train tracks. She discovers a complex, diverse country with unique histories, cultures and problems around every corner. While the book dwells on some of the worst British colonial and subsequent military excesses, t......more