I find I can't stomach most fiction anymore, especially anything written since about 1990. But Vanessa Chan's "The Storm We Made" is a powerful exception. Minutely and lovingly observed and the emotional punches it delivers are all earned and deserved.
It's set in #Malaysia in the 1930s during the British colonial period (when it was still called "Malaya") and the #Japanese wartime occupation of the 1940s, and its principal characters are Malay and Japanese. So right away that sets it apart from anything I've ever read before.
What's more, most of the principal characters from whose points of view we see the story are women and girls.
It is so rare, in #English language fiction, to have a glimpse into the dynamics of #Colonization when it's not practiced by a Western state.
The #Audiobook is beautifully narrated by Samantha Tan, a woman of #Asian ancestry.
Would love to hear #TootSEA thoughts on this book.
"We are witnessing a historic process -- Russians are leaving for the first time in two centuries," independent Azerbaijani analyst Elhan Shahinoglu told AFP.
As reported earlier, nearly 90 countries and organizations, half from #Europe, have confirmed attending the Swiss-hosted #Ukraine#PeaceSummit over the weekend despite #russias refusal to participate in the conference
A vessel from China’s coastguard has blocked two Philippine government ships for hours a short distance from the #SouthEastAsia country’s coast, in a further escalation of tension between the two nations in the disputed #SouthChinaSea.
Rebels claim they drove out last junta battalion in Myanmar border town
> Anti-junta rebels and allied forces on the #Thailand-#Myanmar border have driven out the military’s last battalion from a major trade hub in Myanmar’s Kayin state,
Parched farms, cancelled classes: Extreme heat scorches South-East Asia
"Due to the unbearable heat, the [#Philippines'] Department of Education has allowed #schools to either hold remote lessons or cancel classes altogether.
The country is also in the process of shifting back to a June to March academic calendar, following complaints among students and teachers over holding classes during the peak summer season."
“The frequency, intensity, duration and the area covered by these heatwaves are increasing over time. We are on a rollercoaster ride in terms of temperature, which is not going to come down any time soon. It’s going to be worse, which means we need to be prepared.”
"Deliberately grounded on a tiny reef in the #SouthChinaSea, part of an island chain claimed by the two Asian countries, the #BRPSierraMadre is now the unlikely base for a detachment of Filipino marines who stand guard over the atoll, scanning the turquoise waters for Chinese ships." #AyunginShoal#SecondThomasShoal#Philippines
#MANILA, #Philippines – Foreign ministers of Southeast Asia’s regional bloc Association of Southeast Asian Nations (#ASEAN) on Saturday, December 30, expressed their concern over growing tensions in the #SouthChinaSea which they said could threaten regional peace and urged for peaceful dialogue among parties. #SoutheastAsia#TootSEA
The two Southeast Asian countries have competing claims over some parts of the #SouthChinaSea, a conduit for $3 trillion of annual ship-borne trade that #China claims almost in its entirety. #SoutheastAsia#ASEAN#WestPHSea
Because of #Beijing’s massive defence build-up in the region, #SoutheastAsia air forces are ordering new equipment and eyeing more potent capabilities.