Paula Z Helfrich

Dinosaur in the Garden Paula Z Helfrich

A historical excerpt of memoirs from Burma or Myanmar between 1943-1966 from Pat & Baird Helfrich to the King family in Illinois, USA. Reflecting the struggles of post colonialism to nationalism with a host of new and old ideas, political systems, social and philosophical mores, and the ancient principles of Buddhism. Per Julia Cooke, "The letters collected and contextualized here offer unparalleled and primary insight into an era in Myanmar. They are remarkable both for the vista they provide of Burma in the 1950s and early 1960s - vibrant, social, unpredictable, at once routine and chaotic - and for the way they capture the attitudes and perspectives of an American family abroad in Southeast Asia at that time. Discussions of expat family life in Burma are sensitive and vivid; commentary on American perspectives on the region at this crucial point in time are urgent and intelligent; and perspectives on American politics, viewed from so far away, are at once fresh and pertinent to today's political scene. A very worthwhile read for anyone interested in Burma and its history; an ever-more worthwhile read for anyone interested in Americans abroad."