This is a superbly produced book about ancient sculpture from the Angkor region. The photographs are wonderful and the text is well written and scholarly. If, as I do, you believe that Khmer sculpture is amongst the most beautiful ever made then you will be able to spend hours enjoying this book. One warning: since most of the objects are located in the museum in Phnom Penh, if you are a collector of such books you are unlikely to find images of sculptures which you haven't seen already.

Ratner's book comes in four parts. Sections one and two present a quick but complete history of UN peacekeeping operations and the conceptual framework that produced them. The third gives a detailed analysis of the UN's effort to bring peace and stability to Cambodia in the early 1990s after decades of conflict. The last section offers a brief but insightful examination of the potential problems and opportunities for future UN peacekeeping missions.

Ratner is neither a blind advocate of unchecked UN intervention nor a partisan 'UN basher' that believes the UN is incapable of bringing some benefits to those nations wanting assistance. He provides a set of fair and well-reasoned standards for evaluating the success of UN peacekeeping operations. He then applies those standards and lets the chips fall where they may.

The book finds a perfect middle ground between dense scholarly writing and compelling narrative. Thus, the book should appeal to both academics investigating UN peacekeeping operations and the general reader just wishing to know more about those folks who wear the blue helmets.

Chandler, Heder, and Ledgerwood are unquestionably among the world's premier experts on Cambodia, and their work is the most unbiased and dependable available. In spite of massive obstacles in all directions, UNTAC's "braintrust" did a remarkable job in attempting to insure that the promises of the 1991 Paris agreements were faithfully fulfilled by all involved. Propaganda, politics, and violence most always win out in the short term, although the future in Cambodia is not yet lost. This history of events during the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia bears study by all those stubborn enough to remain interested in peacekeeping operations.

The Treasures And Pleasures Of Vietnam And Cambodia: Best Of The Best In Travel And Shopping is an amazing, "user friendly" touring, travel, and shopping guide. Individual chapters focus upon the marvels of Vietnamese and Cambodian cities, as well as adventure-of-a-lifetime guidelines for smart traveling and shopping. Filled with sensible advice, maps, addresses, tips, great places to go and an easy index, The Treasures and Pleasures of Vietnam and Cambodia covers everything short of being a primer in the native language. Highly recommended for anyone planning a trip to these exotic and beautiful lands, The Treasures And Pleasures Of Vietnam And Cambodia is a "must" for getting the most out of a business or vacation trip to these exotic lands.

Marshall's book was one of the more interesting books on the Vietnam War that I've read so far. It has the characteristics of a quality fiction novel, yet this story is true. The author brings the reader into the story by giving the name, rank, age, and place of birth of many of the characters. This makes the ordeal of the men a personal experience for the reader. The action is thrilling, yet real. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Vietnam War.

A thorough, eclectic memoir of one of the greatest refugee-relief efforts in history, told by the people who lived it: aid workers, politicians, and refugees themselves. I may be prejudiced...

I really enjoyed the book A Blessing Over Ashes because it was a different kind of book that I normally would not read. The book was very informative and I learned a lot about Cambodia that I never knew before. People should read this book if they like to read about other countries, or if they like to read true stories. A Blessing Over Ashes is the story of a Cambodian boy trying to escape his war torn country. He eventually finds his way to America to live with a family that treats him like their own son. I was fasinated reading about the journey that Soeuth the main charactor had to endure ub order to finally get to America. How the Fifield family accepts Soeuth into their family is inspirational. To me, this book represented a mix of a series of journey and a survival. Soeuth has to survive in a country engulfed in hatred and war. His escape took immense courage and I admired Soeuth for his determination. I hope others will consider reading A Blessing Over Ashes so that they, too, may experience the sheer determation and courage of a young Cambodian boy who will inspire them as he did me.

A blessing over ashes is about the history of Cambodia, and many people's lifestyles being interrupted by the warring of the Angka soldiers, and, more specifically, about the life of one Cambodian, and his journey out of Cambodia, to America, and eventually, back to his native homeland. Now hearing that general statement about some content of the book, here are some feelings about the story I had when I read it. . . . .......

I was sickened and almost horrified when reading some of the senseless things that went on in Cambodia when Seouth was there. However, with this serious sense of relation came a serious sense of compation. Seouth was very brave and never gave up. I felt sad for him and his family, as well as every other Cambodian who was tortured, killed or pillaged at all. The fact that this could happen was mind boggling. His survival, he knows, depends souly on himself, as a refugee, an outsider, now in America. He works harder than most "natives" of America could ever think of, and spends his measly earnings on his family and relatives. This fact alone made me feel that Seouth had a lot of love in his heart, and a lot of support for his family and people's culture.

Billl " RALPHY " Clinton

A remarkable story of a boy's life in Cambodia and journey to America. "A Blessing Over Ashes" is a touching story of two brothers struggling to get through teenage years together. Soeuth --the refugee--has had to escape the Khmer Rouge and the war that was going on in his country. He lost his family in the war, and thought they were dead. Soeuth came to America not knowing his last name or real age. Adam, the author and oldest son in the family, becomes friends with Soeuth and share the struggles of being in high school and the struggles they meet in life.

Its a book worth buying and reading. A great read for all ages and a sad story about growing up in life and all the joys that come with it. It is a book that is well worth taking the time to read!

For most Americans, the evacuation of Saigon in April 1975 marked the end of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War at the price of over 58,000 dead servicemen and women. For a few hundred sailors, airmen, and Marines however, it ended two weeks later, with 41 more men giving their lives during heavy fighting not with North Vietnamese soldiers, but with Cambodian Khmer Rouge.

In The Last Battle, author Ray Wetterhahn tells the story of the seizing of the U.S. merchant ship S.S. Mayaguez in international waters off the coast of Cambodia by Khmer Rouge forces, and the U.S. military operation conducted to rescue the 40 civilian crew members. This operation was hailed as a victory for the presidential administration, a victory by the Khmer Rouge, a failure by troops in the action, and a debacle in leadership and command and control by military officers who participated.

As the story of this rescue operation unfolds, Wetterhahn describes in startling detail the mindset of President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, operational commanders, pilots and crews, Marines on Koh Tang Island, the crew of the Mayaguez, and the Khmer Rouge soldiers. A retired officer and Vietnam veteran with service in both the Navy and Air Force, he begins the story on the beaches of Koh Tang, where U.S. military members of Joint Task Force - Full Accounting (JTF-FA) are searching for the remains of 18 men killed during the rescue operation over twenty years before. While researching a story on JTF-FA and their recovery efforts, Wetterhahn discovers that three Marines may have been left alive on Koh Tang during the operation. Over the next five years, Wetterhahn's travels take him from the jungles of Koh Tang and Cambodia to the backwoods of West Virginia, where he tracks down the commanders, the troops, the politicians, and even the Khmer Rouge commander on Koh Tang. Shockingly, he confirms the worst fears of the Marine Commanders in 1975: a three-man machine gun team was left alive on Koh Tang, captured, imprisoned, and subsequently executed.

With the ending of America's involvement in the Vietnam War falling during the Ford presidential administration, a resounding victory and show of force was needed to prove to Americans that the administration was well equipped to handle any crisis. The Johnson administration failed to act when a similar event happened in 1968 as the North Koreans seized the USS Pueblo, and were criticized by the American media during the eleven months of the crew's captivity, and interrogation, prior to their release. President Ford would not let this happen on his watch.

The advanced communications capabilities available in 1975 allowed President Ford, with Secretary Kissinger close at hand, to control nearly the entire operation from the comfort of the Oval Office. Breaking every rule of leadership and command and control, and him being a former Naval Officer, Ford and his staff began directing naval and air forces, and U.S. Marines toward Cambodia and Thailand. Not to be surpassed in poor leadership decisions, the Marine Corps chose as its ground combat element 2d Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, a newly reported unit to Okinawa, instead of 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, which was nearing completion of a one-year rotation and was fully trained and acclimatized to the South Pacific. Extension of a unit past its 12-month mark required extensive administrative efforts, and would not be approved by Headquarers, Marine Corps.

In the 48 hours following the seizure of the Mayaguez, reports from pilots, imagery analysis, and diplomatic information began pouring in to Ford. Critical information was summarized ad reduced to little value and a key item was lost in the shuffle: a pilot saw numerous Caucasian men being transported to the Cambodian mainland in a trawler from Koh Tang Island.

Wetterhahn's interviews of military commanders and soldiers reveal that the Marines received no imagery of Koh Tang island prior to the mission, radio frequencies were not exchanged between air and naval forces, and the mission commander attempted to direct the entire mission, to include forward air control, on one tactical radio frequency. When the Air Force helicopters attempted to land the first Marines on the beaches, they landed directly in the line of fire of entrenched machine guns and within rocket range. Three helicopters were shot down in the first 40 minutes.

Just three hours after the first Marines hit the beach of Koh Tang, Cambodia released the Mayaguez crew from where they were held on the mainland. As the celebration and press conferences begin in Washington, Ford orders the cessation of operations in Cambodia. The battle raged on for nine more hours before the Marines could be extracted. Two hours later, it was determined three Marines were unaccounted for. When Wetterhahn asked former President Ford if he was ever told that three Marines were left behind, he replied, "Not to my best recollection."

Wetterhahn's investigative reporting is unparalleled, as he doggedly sought to find the truth behind the missing three Marines and what really happened on Koh Tang. Previous books have been written regarding the Mayaguez Incident, but The Last Battle encapsulates all aspects of the operation and lets the reader see the chaos of war and the results of poor leadership, at every level. While this story is titled The Last Battle, only through respect for the men who gave their lives attacking an island with no value and no prisoners, should it not be named The Last Blunder.

Surely the real Last Battle was the personal struggle Major Wetterhahn faced in getting to the facts, including some horrible truths, so long hidden behind the Mayaguez incident.

As a Vietnam-era veteran, I never would have thought I could read about the Khmer Rouge's role in the war without the bile rising in my throat, but Wetterhahn has done a masterful job of rising above the politics and loyalties of the day to show soldiers of both sides mired in the literal and figurative muck of battle, and particularly the political muck of the Vietnam War that this book so adeptly summarizes.

Expertly edited, I have only one beef with The Last Battle. In his closing comments, Wetterhahn contrasts the efforts expended on behalf of the ficitional Private Ryan (Saving Private Ryan) to the fact that no one went back for our abandonded Marines. That's not true, Ralph. You went back and back and dug and dug until you found them. Thank you!

Colonel Wetterhahn has done a valuable service for the families of all those Americans, civilian and military, who went missing in Cambodia. The nitty-gritty battle details will naturally cause argument among those who had the honor of participating in the battle, but the description of the battle just sets the stage for the final act, the withdrawal without all hands accounted for and the strangely unexplained failure to cordon the isolated island until the fate of those left behind could be established without doubt. That live Marine prisoners could possibly have been allowed to be moved off the island seems shocking. Much of the information in "The Last Battle" will come as a surprise even to those Americans who thought they understood the Mayaguez "incident" and the action on Koh Tang. These same waters off the Cambodian coast claimed American lives several times during the Khmer Rouge era. The newly-published book "The Eagle Mutiny" by Linnett and Loiederman tells the story of mutiny aboard an American munitions ship during 1970 which culminated in the death of one of the mutineers (Clyde McKay) and another US Army deserter (Larry Humphrey) at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Khmer Rouge naval forces under the command of Meah Muth, the son-in-law of Ta Mok, went on to capture four Americans (James William Clark, Lance Macnamara, Michael Scott Deeds, and Christopher Delance) and five other Westerners off the Cambodian coast during 1978 and sent them to be tortured and executed at the infamous Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh. Meah Muth and Ta Mok as well as KR executioner-in-chief Duch (who has admitted killing the Americans at Tuol Sleng and claims to have disposed of the bodies on the personal order of Nuon Chea) have just this week been named as top candidates for an international tribunal on other crimes against humanity. Perhaps then these stories, like the aftermath of most wars, never really come to a full conclusion. What is certain is that Colonel Wetterhahn has once again performed beyond the call of duty. His efforts should serve as an example to all those involved in what the nation proclaims to be the search for "the fullest possible accounting", and hopefully those that disagree with the author's conclusions on the fate of the lost machinegun team will be motivated to travel to Cambodia and investigate for themselves. Action trumps argument.

Every literate person in the world should read this book. The things that the author went through are almost unbelievable. I had only vaguely heard of the Khmer Rouge before I read this story, but the book told me all I need to know. Through the eyes of a six year old girl, readers are shown all the horrors of this terrifying period in Cambodian history.

The author started out as the happy upper-middle class child of a prominent government official. Then, one day the "Angkar" marched in and changed her life forever. Her family was forced to conceal their mixed Chinese-Cambodian blood, and the father's career in the government in order to keep their lives. They sent away to a forced labor camp, where they are starved and in constant fear for their lives. One by one, family members begin to die off, and the author is forced to go out on her own in order to survive. She and her surviving siblings are subjected to brainwashing, rape, starvation, and various other atrocities, but after many year of suffering, she finally manages to come out on top.

I am a senior in high school and I think it is outrageous that the Khmer Rouge has not even been mentioned in my history classes. Most people don't even know what the Khmer Rouge is. People need to hear about these things, and this book is the perfect way to do that. It makes you feel like the events are happening right outside your window. The author is an amazing person and her story will touch your heart.

The chilling story of the Cambodian purges led by the Kmer Rouge was impossible to put down. Ms. Ung tells her story without resorting to being overly violent even thogh the killings were in the millions. Her brilliance is in humanizing the violent struggle through a family we grow to care about deeply. She avoids the political side of the Cambodian civil war and focusses on an ordinary family turned from a happy middle class life to one of survival and loss. I read this in one day because I needed to know what happenned to this family. Poor little Loung Ung led a terrible few years but lives to remind us that our American lives of comfort are not to be taken for granted. I recently read a similar book on Rwanda and was similarly touched by how much suffering still can go on in our supposedly modern, humane world. Clearly, wanton slaughter in other countries makes me appreciate the simple freedoms of safety and security we have. Read this story and you will not complain about the simple things that aggravate us in America.

First they killed my father is about Loung, the author, who experienced genocide in Cambodia. In Cambodia the Khmer Rouge took over the Cambodian government and decided to create their own society. To create this society they killed, hurt, and corrupted many children, Ung describes these experiences and struggles.The word that Loung choice was really powerful.

The book is very overwhelming because of the events that occur thoughout the book. One of the events that captured me was when her sister, Keav was sent to the infirmary because she got really sick. When Ma, her mother went to visit her and saw that " They just let her lie there in her sickness and dirty sheets" (97) to die, it was really hard for Ma and the whole Ung family because they knew she wasn't going survive and there is nothing they can do.

I really enjoy reading this book and I would recommend it, even if it was hard to read sometimes because of the cruelty of the Khmer Rouge solider. This book wasn't only educational, but it is written in words created by genuine inner emotions, which is why it so powerful story because in a way it forces you to live and feel her experience. Therefore, I would love to recommend this book to my peers, adults, and other schools.

While reading this book 3 things to keep in mind are that she was really young while the Khmer Rouge were in power, she is really vulnerable because she is young, and in the camps there is no positive atmosphere. These 3 things affect her feelings of the way she sees the world and her self.

Two decades after his experiences, British journalist Jon Swain reached for his pen -- or keyboard -- to pour his memories into a book. In today's over-saturation of commercial memoirs, surely yet another remembering is superfluous, especially one about the Vietnam War, a subject gnawed to the bone by thousands of other writers. But wait: his interest, Swain assures us, is less in war than in love. The book is about his enduring passion for the Mekong region and its long-suffering peoples who have kept their dignity in the pits of hell. It's around the Mekong that Swain witnessed humanity at its kindest and its most brutal all at the same time. Such is war.

Swain writes evocatively and his book should serve as a handy introduction to Indochina and its travails for foreigners little in the know. But there's this, too, to say about "River of Time": rather than a panorama of scenes and events, Swain provides several vignettes of them (from Saigon at war to Phnom Penh at its fall to the Khmer Rouge and to Bangkok at peace from it all). And that's my gripe about "River of Time." Without clear guiding narrative strings and conclusions, it reads like several touched-up newspaper articles blended together and joined by only one unifying theme: Swain himself. Too bad, because the book is chock-full of revealing anecdotes, thanks to Swain's well-honed eye and prodigious memory (as well as contemporary diary notes). The stories about Vietnamese boat people's suffering at the hands of Thai fishermen-turned-pirates are perhaps the best in the whole book.

But don't let me put you off an interesting, if somewhat lacking read. For all its flaws, "River of Time" is worth your money and time -- if only in whetting your appetite for other books about this hauntingly beautiful but deeply troubled land.

When I first became aware of Swain's book, my initial thought was, "Another war correspondent's attempt to cash in on the 25th anniversary of the fall of Indo-China." I bought the book, but more because of my current mania for the subject, not because I expected much out of it.

Swain began to win me over right away. He begins the book with much the same sentiment as I expressed above. The author himself wonders what he can add to what's been written before.

The answer is: A lot.

Swain's style fits the subject: factual, but with humanity; horrified without being overwhelmed. The author's self-professed love for Indo-China is evident. The depth of his feelings enabled me to see and feel the end of Indo-China as it had been.

The highlight of the book is the description of the fall of Phnom Penh and the immediate aftermath. I have read several accounts of these events, written by Cambodians and Westerners, and I have seen "The Killing Fields". None of those tellings hold a candle to Swain's description. The misery, chaos, horror, insanity, and inhumanity comes to life in his words.

Swain's work takes it's place among the best of the field.

I feel a little sorry for a few of the reviewers who have gone before me. I think they may be missing the point. The book does not attempt to provide in-depth military facts, nor is it an attempt at writing a 'suspense thriller', nor is it fiction. Rather, it is portrayal of the experiences of one man [and his friends'] during times of conflict [largely] in Indochina. It is a book of truth and emotion, of beauty and futility, of love and war. Ultimately, it is a book about humanity. Jon Swain has done well, and this book would be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of anyone who is interested in human conflict, Indochina or personal accounts of life in times of extremely adverse and uncertain conditions.