Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Work
Review: "Another Quiet American" is a wonderful book full of insights about a secluded country rapidly transforming as it attempts to open itself to foreign tourism and modernity. The author does a superb job painting a picture of the geography and culture of Laos as well as grappling with questions about its present and future economic state. There aren't many books like this one dealing with Laos in such an insightful and cosiderate manner. Great job!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Work
Review: "Another Quiet American" is a wonderful book full of insights about a secluded country rapidly transforming as it attempts to open itself to foreign tourism and modernity. The author does a superb job painting a picture of the geography and culture of Laos as well as grappling with questions about its present and future economic state. There aren't many books like this one dealing with Laos in such an insightful and cosiderate manner. Great job!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Work
Review: "Another Quiet American" is a wonderful book full of insights about a secluded country rapidly transforming as it attempts to open itself to foreign tourism and modernity. The author does a superb job painting a picture of the geography and culture of Laos as well as grappling with questions about its present and future economic state. There aren't many books like this one dealing with Laos in such an insightful and cosiderate manner. Great job!!!!
Rating:
Summary: been there, seen it, done it....
Review: A first hand account of one coming to terms with a different culture. Not to praise it, condemn it or to put it out of sight but trying to understand it.. grapple with it. Enjoying the challenge of looking at this curious "animal" called Laos from all sides and having fun in the process. having lived in the same place (Laos) for some time, I find the descriptions evoke memories and feelings I remember well from my time there. the author catches well the essence of the place, of life there and of the strange ways in which things happen and do not happen. He does not make judegements, but lets the stories speak for themselves without pushing any overt party line... just observing and quietly giving us what he sees... he looks beneath the surface and speaks between the lines...
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books about Laos
Review: As a Southeast Asian scholar that has read plenty of books about Laos, I truly recommend Brett Dakin's book. Although, as he well says, it is not an academic work, Dakin succeeds in providing an accurate, brilliant, and fresh account of contemporary Laos. The fact that the information he provides can only be made available by someone who lived in Laos and who managed to take a close look at this Asian country and its people makes it a very valuable work. Definitely, one of my favorite books about Laos!
Araceli Gomez
Rating: 
Summary: An introduction manual for life in Laos
Review: Brett Dakin does a wonderful job of painting a picture of a struggling country and his experiences there. The book is peppered with funny anecdotes... think David Sedaris meets A Year in Provence. You'll find yourself wishing you were on a plane to Vientiane. As a transplanted Lao, I know that's how I felt when I read Mr. Dakin's descriptions of my homeland. This is not your typical book about Laos filled with historical notes and weird spellings. Pick it up. You won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous Book
Review: Brett Dakin does a wonderful job of painting a picture of a struggling country and his experiences there. The book is peppered with funny anecdotes... think David Sedaris meets A Year in Provence. You'll find yourself wishing you were on a plane to Vientiane. As a transplanted Lao, I know that's how I felt when I read Mr. Dakin's descriptions of my homeland. This is not your typical book about Laos filled with historical notes and weird spellings. Pick it up. You won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just About Laos
Review: Dakin's autobiographical look at contemporary Laos offers us Westerners an insightful, nuanced and humorous portrayal not just of a developing country in a far-off pocket of the world, but also, of a young person considering his American upbringing, who he is, and who he would like to become. I recommend it to anyone and everyone interested in Southeast Asia. As well, and perhaps with even more vehemence, I recommend "Another Quiet American" to anyone who has ever wondered about his or her place in the world; who has ever felt like a stranger in a strange land, even if that "strange land" is where you've lived for years; who has ever set out to live a different sort of life, and then returned home a changed person, but yet still the same person, too. Dakin's sharp eye for details, his appreciation for the subtleties and humor of human interactions, and his knowledge of and respect for history's full weight on the present, add up to an engaging account of Laos and its struggles and its beauties. What's more, he gives us a meaningful glimpse into what it means to be human, to be young, to be American at the turn of the 21st century, and to care about what happens to people to whom you have no connection other than your common humanity. I didn't know anything about Laos before I read this book; now, I know a lot about it, so much so that I want to visit it one day. I look forward to reading more of Dakin's work in the future--this is a writer to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: Having travelled several times to Asia, but never to Laos, I was intrigued by the journalistic nature of the book. Not only did I learn a heck of a lot about Laos, but was entertained as Brett struggled through many hardships and ultimatedly survived and triumphed during his 2-year experience. His writing style is refreshingly open-minded and honest- The book is very easy to read. I feel like I shared a lot of his experience and would have made many of the same assumptions and mistakes that he did... But I didn't have to leave the comfort of my home! I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: Having travelled several times to Asia, but never to Laos, I was intrigued by the journalistic nature of the book. Not only did I learn a heck of a lot about Laos, but was entertained as Brett struggled through many hardships and ultimatedly survived and triumphed during his 2-year experience. His writing style is refreshingly open-minded and honest- The book is very easy to read. I feel like I shared a lot of his experience and would have made many of the same assumptions and mistakes that he did... But I didn't have to leave the comfort of my home! I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
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