A Land on Fire: The Environmental Consequences of the Southeast Asian Boom

Jim Fahn details Thailand's uneasy embrace of globalization in the '90s with a Thomas Friedman-like awareness. He celebrates Southeast Asia's torrid economic rise, its bloody battles for democracy and its struggles for cultural self-determinism with an unflinching eye on the wrecking ball.

Fahn's personal anecdotes add color to his solid research about a country, its people and a culture he got to know well over many years. Personally, I thought it was refreshing to get information from someone who's actually been on the ground and seen a situation -- rather than from someone who draws their conclusions from someone else's study results. He includes info from a variety of sources, but not at the expense of first-hand knowledge. Also liked the way that he explained how he got some of his stories -- what a reporter has to do in a developing country, where corporate interests sometimes make it dangerous just to report on a problem.

A Land on Fire is a superb book - informative, rich in detail, and readable. It traces Southeast Asia's environmental challenges through a treasure of engaging stories. In the narrative we meet all kinds of people - farmers, fishermen, indigenous leaders, eco tourism operators, loggers, government foresters, journalists, oil riggers. Woven tightly together with journalistic skill, their stories tell us much about the environmental crisis setting upon Southeast Asia. Thailand is a country I have lived in and know well. From the first page to the last, Fahn shows a profound understanding of the country, a respect for its special qualities, and a passion for preserving its environmental heritage.