Precariously positioned between China and India, Burma's population has suffered dictatorship, natural disaster, and the dark legacies of colonial rule. But when decades of military dictatorship finally ended and internationally beloved Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi emerged from long years of house arrest, hopes soared. World leaders ushered in waves of support. Progress seemed inevitable. As historian, former diplomat, and presidential advisor, Thant Myint-U saw the cracks forming. In this insider's diagnosis of a country at a breaking point, he dissects how a singularly predatory economic system, fast-rising inequality, disintegrating state institutions, the impact of new social media, the rise of China next door, climate change, and deep-seated feelings around race, religion, and national identity all came together to challenge the incipient democracy.

Belle Hatton has embarked upon an exciting new life far from home: a glamorous job as a nightclub singer in 1930s Burma, with a host of sophisticated new friends and admirers. But Belle is haunted by a mystery from the past - a 25-year-old newspaper clipping found in her parents' belongings after their death, saying that the Hattons were leaving Rangoon after the disappearance of their baby daughter, Elvira. Belle is desperate to find out what happened to the sister she never knew she had - but when she starts asking questions, she is confronted with unsettling rumours, malicious gossip and outright threats.

An omnibus edition of classic George Orwell novels, this volume includes 'Burmese Days', 'Keep the Aspidistra Flying' and 'Coming Up for Air'.

Precariously positioned between China and India, Burma's population has suffered dictatorship, natural disaster and the dark legacies of colonial rule. But when decades of military dictatorship finally ended and internationally beloved Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi emerged from long years of house arrest, hopes soared. World leaders including Barack Obama ushered in waves of international support. Progress seemed inevitable. In this insider's diagnosis of a country at a breaking point, historian, former diplomat and presidential advisor Thant Myint-U dissects how a singularly predatory economic system, fast-rising inequality, disintegrating state institutions, the impact of new social media, the rise of China next door, climate change and deep-seated feelings around race, religion and national identity all came together to challenge the incipient democracy.

It's 1941 and Kate is living in Rangoon, the capital city of Burma. A world away from her traditional English upbringing, she loves the exotic climate and the culture of the people. When Edwin, a young man from London, starts working in the government office with her, a friendship develops between them. But Kate can sense that Edwin has secrets and is looking for a place to call home - something that she shares. As their bond grows, Kate helps Edwin to settle into life in Burma. But war is coming and when the Japanese invade, Kate and Edwin are forced to flee. They begin a perilous journey to India, but soon become separated. As Kate continues on her journey alone, she can't get the troubled young man she has come to care so deeply for out of her head. With the fallout of war all around them, in a place far from home, will Kate and Edwin survive their journey and find the peace they both so desperately seek?

Burma, 1852. Arthur Bowman, a sergeant in the East India Company, is sent on a secret mission during the Second Anglo-Burmese War. But the expedition is foiled - his men are captured and tortured. Throughout their ordeal, a single word becomes Bowman's mantra, a word that will stiffen their powers of endurance in the face of unimaginable suffering: 'Survival'. But for all that, only a handful escape with their lives. Some years later in London, battling his ghosts through a haze of alcohol and opium, Bowman discovers a mutilated corpse in a sewer. The victim appears to have been subjected to the same torments as Bowman endured in the Burmese jungle. And the word 'Survival' has been daubed in blood by the body's side.

For almost fifty years Burma was ruled by a paranoid military dictatorship and isolated from the outside world. A historic 2015 election swept an Aung San Suu Kyi-led civilian government to power and was supposed to usher in a new golden era of democracy and progress, but Burma remains unstable and undeveloped, a little-understood country. Nothing is straightforward in this captivating land that is home to a combustible mix of races, religions and resources. 'A Savage Dreamland' reveals a country where temples take priority over infrastructure, fortune tellers thrive and golf courses are carved out of war zones.

When Sybil and Blanche Le Fleur were growing up in Burma in the 1920s and 30s, little did they realise the challenges that they would face during their lives. While Sybil escaped from Burma and settled in Scotland, Blanche lived for over three years under Japanese occupation. They would not meet again for over 60 years. This is their story.

Idris (Taff) James was a driver in the Royal Army Service Corps and one of the thousands of young British soldiers taken prisoner by the Japanese in early 1942. He was ordered to become a medic by his Company Commander, who must have been a very shrewd judge of character. His account of the conditions and suffering endured by his fellow prisoners and himself makes for the most extraordinary and disturbing reading. Taff suffered from dysentery, malaria, beri beri and cholera but, unlike so many, he survived. His description of the courage of his fellow captives and, regrettably, the failings of some in authority, give grounds for serious thought. If you only read one book by a POW of the Japanese, this is the one.