- Hardcover: 640 pages
- Publisher: Belknap Press (Jun 20 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0674011376
- ISBN-13: 978-0674011373
- Product Dimensions: 25.1 x 16.7 x 3.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 1.4 Kg
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,123,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
"How can such a gentle people as we are be so murderous?" a prominent Indonesian asks. That question--and the mysteries of the archipelago's vast contradictions--haunt Theodore Friend's remarkable work, a narrative of Indonesia during the last half century, from the postwar revolution against Dutch imperialism to the unrest of today. Part history, part meditation on a place and a past observed firsthand, Indonesian Destinies penetrates events that gave birth to the world's fourth largest nation and assesses the continuing dangers that threaten to tear it apart.
Friend reveals Sukarno's character through wartime collaboration with Japan, and Suharto's through the mass murder of communists that brought him to power for thirty-two years. He guides our understanding of the tolerant forms of Islam prevailing among the largest Muslim population in the world, and shows growing tensions generated by international terrorism. Drawing on a deep knowledge of the country's cultures, its leaders, and its ordinary people, Friend gives a human face and a sense of immediacy to the self-inflicted failures and immeasurable tragedies that cast a shadow over Indonesia's past and future. A clear and compelling passion shines through this richly illustrated work. Rarely have narrative history and personal historical witness been so seamlessly joined.
(20030531)About the Author
Theodore Friend, former President of Swarthmore College, and President Emeritus of Eisenhower Fellowships, is now a Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Philadelphia. He was awarded the Bancroft Prize for his book on Philippine-American history, Between Two Empires. His other books include The Blue-Eyed Enemy and Family Laundry, a novel.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
One hundred years after the first president of Indonesia was born, his daughter became its fifth president. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
One hundred years after the first president of Indonesia was born, his daughter became its fifth president. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eye opening even for Indonesians,
By A Customer
This review is from: Indonesian Destinies (Hardcover)
This book is the most comprehensive and yet not-too-hard read on Indonesian independence history that I have found. With detailed accounts of important events, vivid descriptions, and personal experience, Theodore Friend is able to weave together a compelling story about the complexity of the Indonesian history since independence. The crucial facts and theories are insightful if not eye-opening, especially for Indonesians who have not been exposed to the nation's history from an outsider perspective.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best Work On Indonesia For Americans {4 1/2 Stars},
By Chimonsho (Turtle Island) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Indonesian Destinies (Hardcover)
Theodore Friend has decades of research and personal experience living in this subcontinent that masquerades as a nation. The distinctive combination of personal anecdote and informed expertise (he's written several books on Southeast Asia) makes this book much more than a typical academic study. The data on which "Indonesian Destinies" is based is both broad and deep, covering, as other reviewers note, most facets of Indonesian history since World War Two. Friend also has a knack for addressing the issues informed US citizens associate with Indonesia---to the extent we think about this crucially important country at all: oil, gas, minerals and other economic resources; environmental concerns; Islamic radicalism; and most importantly, the ongoing internal struggle for a more just political culture and civil society, including the recent Timor tragedy. However, the abbreviated time-depth means that the work is not truly comprehensive, and thus complements other landmark studies, instead of supplanting them. These include J.G. Taylor, "Indonesia: Peoples & Histories," stronger on pre-1900 history, from an Australian perspective; and A. Reid, "Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce," which masterfully examines regional structures and continuities. Friend's lively and sensitive study sets a very high standard for US readers, at least until Indonesians themselves are permitted to reach an international audience with their own interpretations. For this, one can begin with the many novels by Pramoedya Toer, along with "The Mute's Soliloquy," his collection of prison and political writings. There is also Kartini, "Letters of a Javanese Princess," by the sadly shortlived but pioneering Indonesian feminist from a century ago.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A through study of events in Indonesia over the years,
By Kusmulx "kusmulx" (Singapore) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Indonesian Destinies (Hardcover)
Every single page in this book offers a glimpse into the complexity of Indonesian society. As a reader, we are brought into understanding the social events that occurred in this country through differing point of views, from the powerful government, the simple yet hopeful citizens or foreigners that either fell in love with the country or somehow managed to get themselves tied to the country. As an Indonesian myself, I am thankful to Mr.Friend for this book. It is like a glass of water quenching the thirst of knowledge on the subject that has too long been oppressed in Indonesia itself. More than anything, this book serves its purpose well that is to make readers, both Indonesian and those affiliated, to question many unfortunate social disorders that had befallen upon this country. If Indonesia is heading toward to a better society, only a study into her past will guides her future. By ignoring the mistakes from the past social disorders, Indonesia will only fall back to the same state many years to come in the future, only a matter of time. This book put out the many issues for readers to discuss, to ponder and to question. From reading the book, we know as a reader that this book is written by a writer that really cares about the issues in Indonesia.
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