I wish I would have spent more time with the Hmong in Thailand. I found this story very moving and the immigrants strength and resilience in surviving wonderful to see. I am excited to share this with my students several of whom are refugees from war and conflict.

Hmong is a group of people that live in the high mountains in South China or they could live in Laos but in the mountains. They speak four different kinds of languages: Lao, Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese. Whenever I read a book about a language like Lao I get very interested and I want to ask my parents about it because they are from a refugee camp, too. I ask my parents lots of questions until it blows their minds because I ask too much questions!! For example I ask "Did you swim to Thailand?" "How did you get to New York?" and lots more. I ask lots of questions until they answer me. My parents survived from the refugee and the soldiers. They swam to Thailand, if the army or soldiers saw one of my parents they would ask questions or instead they would shoot one of them. What I heard was the army took the Lao people and took them to the refugee camp! This book is a believable story and you use your imagination about the cloth talking and speaking. I would recommend this book to any child or grown up who is interested in a refugee's story.

Not many know that the Jewish diaspora reached India two thousand years ago. Although the size of the Jewish diaspora in India was always small, it invites study because its history of sustained harmony sharply contrasts the Jewish diaspora in Europe, a history of periodic horrors.

It's fitting that the University of California Press is the publisher of the first comprehensive scholarly study of all three of the Jewish communities in India. It was a UC Berkeley professor of history, Walter J. Fischel, who pioneered the study of the Jews in India in his 1962 article, "Cochin in Jewish History: Prolegomena to a History of the Jews in India," published in The Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research. Inspired by his article, several monographs soon appeared on each of the three Indian Jewish communities.

In the introduction to this truly engrossing book, Nathan Katz writes: "Indian Jews lived as all Jews should have been allowed to live: free, proud, observant, creative and prosperous, self-realized, full contributors to the host community. Then, when twentieth century conditions permitted they returned en masse to Israel, which they had always proclaimed to be their true home despite India's hospitality. The Indian chapter is one of the happiest of the Jewish Diaspora."

The three Indian Jewish communities have a distinct history: the Cochin Jews arrived as early as the first century; the Bene Israel Jews of greater Bombay arrived, they claim, 1600 years ago; and the Baghdadi Jews of the port cities of Bombay and Calcutta arrived in the middle of the eighteenth century.

The largest section of the book is on the Cochin Jews. The connection between Cochin and the Jews goes back to the time of King Solomon (992-952 B. C.): teak, ivory, spice, and peacocks were exported to Palestine. The Cochin Jews claim their ancestors arrived in Shingly, near Cochin, on the southwest coast of India in 72 A. D., fleeing the destruction of the second temple by the Romans. They were allowed to settle in Cochin by the local maharaja, where many of them prospered as merchants, government officials and soldiers. Katz quotes from Mandelbaum's article in the Jewish Journal of Sociology: As late as 1550 "the Raja of Cochin refused to fight a battle on Saturday because on that day his Jewish soldiers would not fight; and they were the best warriors he had raised." Katz comments: "Probably India is the only country on earth so civilized that in war, out of deference to its esteemed Jewish soldiers, no battles were fought on the Sabbath."

The Bene Israeli community, which numbered 50,000 before emigration to Israel, 90 percent are gone to Israel, claims its origin to some sixteen or eighteen hundred years ago, they say, "when their ancestors were shipwrecked on Indian shores.... They came as refugees from persecution and political overthrow." Katz dismisses this as pseudo-history without elaborating. The Bene Israel divided themselves into subcastes: Gora, or White, and Kala, or Black.

On the harmonious history of the Jewish diaspora in India, Katz analyzes: "A crucial distinction between India and the rest of the Diaspora, however, is that in India acculturation is not paid for in the currency of assimilation. By acculturation I mean fitting comfortably into a society while retaining one's own identity, whereas by assimilation I mean that the loss of that identity is a perceived condition for acceptance. The study of Indian Jewish communities demonstrates that in Indian culture an immigrant group gains status precisely by maintaining its own identity. Such is the experience not only of India's Jews, but also of local Christians, Zoroastrians, and recently, Tibetan Buddhists. This striking feature of Indian civilization is reflected by each of these immigrant groups."

Although Katz is right in ascribing Hinduism's acceptance, even encouragement, of differences, I would point out that the Hindus extend hospitality to the outside groups to the extent that the outsiders refrain from proselytizing Hindus. For example, Christian missionaries are vigorously opposed by most Hindus. Even Gandhi was completely against Christian missionaries in India: "If I had the power and could legislate, I should stop all proselytising.... It is the deadliest poison that ever sapped the fountain of truth." The major cause of conflict between the Muslims and the Hindus for more than a thousand years has been the Koranic injunction to convert all infidels and to slay those who refuse [Koran, 9.5]. Unlike the Muslims and Christians, the Jews in India never engaged in proselytizing activities. The greatest of the Jewish strategies for living and prospering in India lay in what the Jews did not do!

As part of the project for writing this book, Nathan Katz, professor and chair of Religious Studies at Florida International University, interviewed many people in India and in Israel to provide the reader an understanding of "how these two great and ancient civilizations, Indic and Judaic, interacted within the very being of India's Jews.

In Calcutta, Norman Nahoum, one of the small number of Baghdadi Jews who remain in India, tells him: "We are taught to abhor idolatry to prevent its assimilation into Abraham's family of religions, but if you look closely you will see that Judaism and Hinduism have so much in common. In India, we are accepted totally, at the same time we are treated with kid gloves, like special guests." Referring to Hindus, Nahoum says, "These people are civilized; the others are barbarians, bent on proselytization. If you ask any Jew who has lived in India, from Cochin to Calcutta , you will find that although the Hindus are called idolaters, they are more accepting of Jews than those so-called new religions that grew out of Judaism." In Cochin, interviewees tell him: "Anti-Semitism doesn't exist in our Indian dictionary."

Katz has written a heart-warming, scholarly book on the Jewish diaspora India.

I've been interested in learning about the Jewish Diaspora into India for a while now and have done a little research on the internet but the websites did not provide me with as much information as I wanted. Finally I found out about this book and it gives a really great accoount of the Jewish-Indian groups-Bene Jews of West India, Cochin Jews of Kerala and the Middle Eastern Jews in cities like Delhi and Calcutta. It gives detailed account on how the arrived in India and how lived there with their neighbors and colonial rulers. The book also deals with how Zionism and Indian independence were both exteremely importatn to Indian Jews and how they were torn between these two philosphies because of their emergence to the mainstream at the same time.

Wild Asia: Spirit of a Continent is a beautiful oblong title providing a visual journey through the Asian wildlife world based on an international television series by the Natural History New Zealand. Enjoy color photos and a variety of writers who focus on their regional knowledge of Asia, from the Arctic tundra to central Asia. An exceptional visual display blends with nature insights.

This book was a great buy for me. Although it is very general as animals and plants go, it opens up the wonder of Asia to the reader. Its pictures are extremely magnificent; they are the main focus of the book. It is said a picture tells a thousand words, and it is very true for this book. The color and great shots are just as good as it gets, next to being there.

Winter Soldiers: An Oral History of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War-Richard Stacewicz

Bringing together the voices of 26 former members of VVAW, Richard Stacewicz offers an exciting account of the impact of the war on the lives of young American soldiers. Winter Soldiers traces the lives of Vietnam veterans from their childhood and education in the U.S. through their experiences in Vietnam and back to the world and the "war at home". Rather than offer his own interpretation of the history of VVAW, the author lets the individuals (men and women) speak for themselves. In each chapter we learn a little more about the characters and are drawn into their conversations. The book does a good job of presenting the history of VVAW and some of its most important battles: Dewey Canyon III, Operation RAW, the Winter Soldier Investigation. It covers the ending of the war, and the struggle within VVAW over which direction the group should take: Some wanted to concentrate on anti-imperialist issues (developed into VVAW AI), others primarily on veterans' issues (developed into VVAW Inc.) The author allows VVAWers to bluntly discuss the internal disagreements - over tactics, politics, leadership. Participants on both sides are given an opportunity to express their positions in the book. The book's style is refreshing, conveying an impression of dialogue. Each chapter focuses on an important piece of our history. Joe Urgo, founding member of VVAW, currently in VVAW AI is one of those interviewed. Good job, Joe!

Winter Soldiers traces the lives of 26 Vietnam Veterans from their childhood and education in the US through their experiences in Vietnam and back to the world and the "war at home." The eloquent voices of these men and women are the most compelling part of this history as they explainhow they moved from Goldwater republicanism tothe radical left as a result of their Vietnam education. This book shows a part of US domestic and military history in a personal and often tragic manner. Also contains one of the best concise histories of the US and French involvement in Indochina that's ever been written. A tremendous read.

Once I saw this book advertised, I remembered the author's name as the man who made the super motion film "Ghandi" and I know that it was going to be a good book. I must say that I am very pleased wityh it and these words of wisdom can really be put to use in our daily lifestyle and help improve ourselves to become better persons regardless of religion or ethnic background. These inspiring quotes are well documented in appropriate sections such as : Daily Life, Co-operation, Non-violence, Peace, Faith etc. I would like to leave you with one of these valuable quotes for your kind consideration.

"I have learnt through bitter experience the one supreme lesson; to conserve any anger, and as heat conserved is transmuted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmuted into a power which can move the world."

It is like the Book of Proverbs in the Bible. Gandhi's seemingly superhuman insight on virtue is indeed deeply moving. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to hear many of the words of the wisest.

This book, by the late Rear Admiral Kemp Tolley, is a very interesting and at times humorous account of the life of U.S. Navy gunboat sailors on China's Yangtze River from the time of the American Civil War through the mid-20th Century. During that period, China went through a tremendous amount of upheaval that included revolution, civil wars, major wars with Japan, and smaller wars with western countries. In the midst of China's upheaval, small American gunboats and those of other foreign nations tried to protect the lives and commercial interests of their citizens living in China.

Kemp Tolley, who passed away in 2000 at age 92, was himself a young Naval Officer in the 1930s when he was assigned to the Yangtze River Patrol. From that vantage point his tales of U.S. Navy life on the Yangtze--both on duty and off duty--in the 1930s make for some interesting anecdotes, whether they deal with U.S. sailors battling the river and Chinese bandits, romancing White Russian and Chinese women, or brawling with British and Italian gunboat crews in the bars of Yangtze River towns.

"Yangtze Patrol" is a great true adventure story and captures some of the same spirit as the novel, "The Sand Pebbles," which dealt with one U.S. gunboat crew during the Chinese Nationalist Revolution in the mid-1920s. However, any American reader of "Yangtze Patrol" needs to keep in mind how most Chinese viewed the Patrol. That view is well summed up in "The Sand Pebbles" where an American missionary asks Jake Holman, a gunboat sailor, how he'd feel if, instead of American gunboats on the Yangtze, there were Chinese gunboats sailing up and down the Mississippi River.

A fogotten chapter of Naval history is brought to life in this fabulous volume. Kemp Tolley, once a sailor in the Yangtze river patrol, outlines the Navy's service in China from its humblest beginnings prior to the cival war through the loss of the last gunboat in 1941. For those of us interested in Navy history, This book brings a lively and action packed legacy from our "China Sailors"

This is a great book for the traveller who doesn't have much time to spend in a country and just wants to see the "highlights" of each city. The author does a fantastic job of setting out a realistic itinerary for each city. We followed the itineraries for Hong Kong, Kyoto, and Chiang Mai with much success. The book is very basic and concentrates on "must-see" places and things (there is a rating system to help you narrow down your choices if you are really time pressed). It's a great guide for the time pressed do-it-yourself traveller. Combine this book with a Lonely Planet guide for your particular country and you've got it made.

I've read all of Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's books, and this is another winner. This, her second short story collection, explores her Philippine as well as Philippine American experiences. Like her other writings, these stories are full of magic! I recommend them to you.

Across The Pacific: An Inner History of American - East Asian Relations was a great starting point. This book was my first exploration into the relationship between the United States and Japan before World War II. Across the Pacific does not just cover 1800 to WWII, but it covers the relations up until the late 1960's. The whole book is interesting, but the section that I personally found the most interesting was the issues that the United States and Japan were facing as the two countries moved apart before the second World War. It made me think about how much the world economic state and the control of resources play in foreign relations. It also brought to light some issues that surround imperialism, and in this case, the Japanese and the old British Empire. This book also made me aware of the power of perception if it is Cordell Hull or John MacMurray, and the role that they play.

I strongly recommend this this book, especially if you are looking for a starting point. I found Across the Pacific fascinating.

This book is extremely well-written, and contains so much information that it has been recommended as a primer to the recent political history in Taiwan and China by a number of news sources (Channel NewsAsia).