The young Burmese author, a member of a remote hill-tribe in the Shan hills, captures the traditions and challenges of the Padaung people in this astonishing debut. His memoir follows his fate from a traditional upbringing in the village, through love and war, and escape from a rebel camp on the Burmese-Thai border with the help of a Cambridge don. A student activist in the mass demonstrations of 1988 (and talented writer in love with English literature), Khoo Thwe fled to England and Cambridge, where he graduated with honors, an extraordinary feat.  (BMA29, $13.95)

Best of 2002
Kiriyama Prize
Best of 2002