In fact the book spends a long time in the author's childhood. At first I wasn't sure this was the correct start but as you enter the book further you realise that it underpins a lot of what comes next.

From the period when the author entered the University in Mandalay I was hooked on this book. The stories about being a 'rebel' and having to escape from the Military Dictatorship show the degree of resilience that the author holds. His time in Cambridge is covered with no pretension, just highlighting the difficulty of the culture change, and the problems associated with his initial low degree of knowledge as regards the English language.

Having read a number of books on Burma I found this didn't cover as much about the 'democratic rebellion' as others. However it told me a lot more about the culture of the Burmese and the individual tribes that inhabit Burma. Something I found of great interest.