Synopses & Reviews
Decades of military oppression in Burma have led to the systematic destruction of thousands of ethnic minority villages, a standing army with one of the worlds highest number of child soldiers, and the displacement of millions of people.
Nowhere to Be Home is an eye-opening collection of oral histories exposing the realities of life under military rule. In their own words, men and women from Burma describe their lives in the country that Human Rights Watch has called the textbook example of a police state.”
Synopsis
Decades of military oppression in Burma have led to the systematic destruction of more than 3,000 ethnic minority villages, the creation of one of the largest numbers of child soldiers in the world, and the displacement of millions of people. The narratives in this book offer a powerful depiction of daily life within Burma, as well as in the tenuous border regions to which an estimated 1-2 million people have fled. In their own words, men and women from Burma describe how their lives have been deeply altered by the country's current military regime: refugees who have fled ethnic and religious persecution at the hands of the military, political dissidents jailed and tortured, and youth and community leaders working for solutions at great personal risk. Their stories reveal the human toll exacted by the country's regime, with intersecting issues of forced labor, sexual violence, displacement, environmental degradation, the drug trade, and HIV/AIDS. Woven together, these experiences are a testament to the complexity and magnitude of the human rights crisis in Burma, as well as to the resilience of its people.
About the Author
Maggie Lemere has traveled and worked in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. She holds an MA in international peace and conflict resolution from American University in Washington, D.C. Maggie focuses her writing and photography projects on issues of human rights and social concern.
Zoë West is a writer whose work investigates social issues and cultural exchange. Zoë grew up in the United States and has since lived and worked in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Central America. She is pursuing graduate studies in social anthropology at the University of Oxford.