Synopsis
When Aung San Suu Kyi returned to her native Burma to tend to her ailing mother, no one could have known that, within a few months, the quiet woman would become a leader of her people. In 1989, after Suu Kyi had worked only a year in Burma’s renewed struggle for democracy, the military government place her under house arrest. The following years, while still confined to her home, Suu Kyi led Burma’s National League for Democracy to victory in a national election. The military government refused to recognize the election. In 1991, still under arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize. Upon her release from house arrest in 1995, thousands flocked to Suu Kyi’s home in Rangoon to hear her speak. There she offered hope that democracy may yet blossom in Burma. Whitney Stewart’s biography, based on personal interviews with Aung San Suu Kyi and those around her, illuminates the dangers endured and the triumphs enjoyed by this inspiring woman, who has been put back under house arrest in her homeland. Additional materials by Burmese authors brings this fascinating biography right up-to-date, including the Saffron Revolution of 2007.
- Publisher: iUniverse.com; 2 edition (11 Jun 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0595483208
- ISBN-13: 978-0595483204
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal Grade 7-10: This is an interesting, easy-to-read biography of the leader who, despite her politically active background, lived a peaceful scholar’s life in England until she returned to Burma to care for her ailing mother in 1988. Suu Kyi became involved in the great resistance movement for democracy in her homeland, which eventually led to her house arrest from 1989-1995. She became an inspiration to her people and ultimately was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Stewart emphasizes that democracy has not been fully achieved in Burma and that Suu Kyi’s resolve continues to give hope to her country. Full-color and black-and-white photos add much to this inspiring biography, which presents more personal information on Suu Kyi and her family than John Parenteau’s Prisoner for Peace (M. Reynolds, 1994). A fine introduction to the current quest for change in Burma … Judy R. Johnston, Auburn High School, WA Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist Gr. 6^-9: Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Prize winner and a leader in Burma’s struggle for democracy, is profiled in this biography based on personal interviews. Suu Kyi, the daughter of a popular Burmese politician who was assassinated, married an Englishman and was living in Cambridge when, during a visit home, she decided to stay and help the Burmese struggle for democracy. Within a year, she was put under house arrest but continued her fight from captivity, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. The book is at its best when chronicling this stirring time. Unfortunately, before readers get there, they must wade through a long history of Burmese politics that is probably necessary for background (although less detail would have aided readability). Personal photographs, both in color and black and white, add to the appeal. A thorough, well-documented effort … Ilene Cooper
From Kirkus Reviews: A solid and informative entry in the Newsmakers Biographies series. Almost from birth Aung San Suu Kyi was involved in the political movement to free Burma from first the British and later from a series of corrupt and repressive regimes. Her father, a general in the Burmese army during WW II, was a prime mover in the struggle to free his country from the British and had just about come to terms with them when he was brutally assassinated. Having lost both her father and any hope of freedom, Suu Kyi resolved to carry on in his place. Stewart covers Suu Kyi’s marriage and travels, her experience on the world political scene, the events that took her back to Rangoon in 1988, and the reasons that she remains there, now the recipient of the Nobel Prize for peace, to this day. The tone is admiring but balanced in this sturdy, well-researched volume, illustrated with both full-color and black-and-white photographs. (notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10+) — Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
- Buy it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Aung-San-Fearless-Voice-Burma/dp/0595483208/
- Whitney Stewart - Children’s Book Author http://whitneystewart.com/aung_san.htm
- Burma Library (1st ed.) entry: http://burmalibrary.org/reg.burma/archives/199703/msg00204.html
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