Overview

Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's woman of destiny and one of the most admired voices for freedom in the world today, comes alive through this brilliant rendering of Burma's tumultuous history. Award-winning journalist and former State Department speechwriter Rena Pederson brings to light fresh details about the charismatic Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi: the inspiration for Burma's (now Myanmar) first steps towards democracy. Suu Kyi's party will be a major contender in the 2015 elections, a revolutionary breakthrough after years of military dictatorship. Using exclusive interviews with Suu Kyi since her release from fifteen years of house arrest, as well as recently disclosed diplomatic cables, Pederson uncovers new facets to Suu Kyi's extraordinary story. The Burma Spring also reveals the extraordinary steps taken by First Lady Laura Bush to help Suu Kyi, as well as how former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton injected new momentum into Burma's democratic rebirth. Pederson provides a never-before-seen view of the harrowing hardships the people of Burma have endured and the fiery political atmosphere in which Suu Kyi has fought a life-and-death struggle for liberty in this fascinating part of the world.

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9781481513937

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Reviews

"An ambitious and necessary work. An illuminating dossier about a heroic woman and a nation walking, slowly, toward a freer land. -- ""Cleveland Plain Dealer"" Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the towering figures of our age: a tireless champion of democracy, freedom, and reconciliation. Rena Pederson captures Suu Kyi as few others have, producing a vivid account of the life of this remarkable woman. The Burma Spring is a valuable resource for anyone interested in contemporary Burma. -- ""Mitch McConnell"" Engagingly written and intelligently documented. -- ""Library Journal"" Journalist Pederson delivers a penetrating portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of the Burmese National League for Democracy party, in a thoughtful biography that reveals the 'moody, temperamental' side of its charismatic and visionary subject...Pederson charts Myanmar's 'winter thaw, ' which earned Suu Kyi a seat in Parliament, and while Suu Kyi's fearlessness and Buddhist faith have carried her far, observers continue to wonder what impact her work will have on a country that has stymied US presidents since Reagan. -- ""Publishers Weekly"" Tart and witty. Pederson's book shines. -- ""Shelby Hearon, New York Times bestselling author"" The long, hard road to 'national reconciliation' wrought by Burmese national heroine Aung San Suu Kyi. Dallas journalist Pederson evokes the quiet, stubborn dignity of this rather improbable political icon of Myanmar, a multiethnic country of mostly Buddhists...Pederson visited her subject several times, and she draws a deeply nuanced portrait of the enigmatic, inspiring leader. -- ""Kirkus Reviews"" The riveting story of Suu Kyi's brutal imprisonment, deplorable maltreatment, astonishing inner strength, and ultimate survival is told with a historian's appreciation for context and circumstance...in a complex and sweeping history of Burma's centuries-old struggle to maintain a closed society, yet manifest its power on a global scale. -- ""Booklist (starred review)"""

The long, hard road to 'national reconciliation' wrought by Burmese national heroine Aung San Suu Kyi. Dallas journalist Pederson evokes the quiet, stubborn dignity of this rather improbable political icon of Myanmar, a multiethnic country of mostly Buddhists...Pederson visited her subject several times, and she draws a deeply nuanced portrait of the enigmatic, inspiring leader. -- Kirkus Reviews Engagingly written and intelligently documented. -- Library Journal Journalist Pederson delivers a penetrating portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of the Burmese National League for Democracy party, in a thoughtful biography that reveals the 'moody, temperamental' side of its charismatic and visionary subject...Pederson charts Myanmar's 'winter thaw, ' which earned Suu Kyi a seat in Parliament, and while Suu Kyi's fearlessness and Buddhist faith have carried her far, observers continue to wonder what impact her work will have on a country that has stymied US presidents since Reagan. -- Publishers Weekly The riveting story of Suu Kyi's brutal imprisonment, deplorable maltreatment, astonishing inner strength, and ultimate survival is told with a historian's appreciation for context and circumstance...in a complex and sweeping history of Burma's centuries-old struggle to maintain a closed society, yet manifest its power on a global scale. -- Booklist (starred review) An ambitious and necessary work. An illuminating dossier about a heroic woman and a nation walking, slowly, toward a freer land. -- Cleveland Plain Dealer Tart and witty. Pederson's book shines. -- Shelby Hearon, New York Times bestselling author Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the towering figures of our age: a tireless champion of democracy, freedom, and reconciliation. Rena Pederson captures Suu Kyi as few others have, producing a vivid account of the life of this remarkable woman. The Burma Spring is a valuable resource for anyone interested in contemporary Burma. -- Mitch McConnell

Author Information

Rena Pederson teaches writing at Southern Methodist University. She has written on Burma for the Huffington Post, Washington Post, and Christian Science Monitor. She was the editorial page editor at the Dallas Morning News, has served on the Pulitzer Prize Board, and is the author of The Burma Spring, The Lost Apostle, and What's Next?, which was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She is currently a commentator on Dallas Public Radio. Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009, is known for her support of literacy and education. She founded both the National Book Festival and the Texas Book Festival among numerous other volunteer and philanthropic projects. She is author of her memoir, Spoken from the Heart, as well as a coauthor of the children's book, Read All About It!, with her daughter Jenna Bush Hager. Karen White is a classically trained actress who has been recording audiobooks since 1999. An Audie Award finalist, she has earned eight AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her reading of The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed was named one of AudioFile's Best Audiobooks of 2009.

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