Journeys on the Edge is a story about the people in modern-day Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, suffering from war, poverty and oppression and the volunteers who worked to provide support. The story is interesting, unusual and at times filled with adventure and violence. The focus is not so much about saving or providing aid to people, more so about the relationships between the people in the story. There are a variety of characters from different backgrounds such as volunteers, refugees, and migrants, and the author provides vivid descriptions of these people and their lives as well as a good about of historical background to help you understand the time and setting. I would definitely recommend this book for people who are interested in relationships between people and events, more than just factual and biographical stories. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

Journeys on the Edge
A Burmese Quest
by Bob Anderson
Pub Date 03 Dec 2022 | Archive Date 15 Feb 2023
Matador
Biographies & Memoirs | History | Nonfiction (Adult)


I am reviewing a copy of Journeys on the Edge through Matador and Netgalley:


It was February.01.202, when tanks appeared on the streets of Burmese cities and the people of Burma are once again involved in a seemingly endless struggle for justice and democracy waged against a brutal military regime.


Journeys on the Edge shows the growth of Mobile Education Partnerships, an educational charity built from scratch by teachers, which became an international award-winning organisation. It is, an adventure on many levels, physical, emotional and spiritual. MEP works with communities ‘on the edge’ many displaced by war, poverty and oppression inside Burma (aka Myanmar) and on the Thai/Burma border.



It is important to note that this is not sentimental presentation of ‘victimhood’ but a very candid, sympathetic and human exploration of how an organisation was built in these challenging circumstances. Neither is it a handbook on how to build a charity but it does offer a ground- level guide to anyone who wishes to go down that road.



Journeys on the Edge is a story which provides a fascinating insight into this tragic, violent and at times bizarre world drawing on the lives of those directly involved, the volunteers, the refugees, the migrants, the warlords and those of us searching for something to believe in, in a world where the truth is elusive and the central message of Shakespeare, that nothing is as it appears to be, serves as a warning to all.



I give Journeys on the Edge five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!