Life in the Valley of Death: The Fight to Save Tigers in a Land of Guns, Gold, and Greed

This book is about the fight to save a valley in Myanmar (Burma) as a sanctuary for tigers. It was ultimately, at least partially, successful though it took a great deal of effort to get there. It was interesting that, as I started the book, I found myself thinking of whether the work that the author did in Myanmar should have been done. Myanmar is such an ugly country, but then it seemed to me that the tigers should not have been held hostage to a miserable dictatorship. And it also takes some thinking as we go further along as to whether our Western diplomats should be dealing with such governments in the way that we do. Perhaps other approaches, such as some of the ways that Rabinowitz learned to work with the Myanmar government, may also be possible.

Fascinating read, hopefully many will read this book and join in the fight to save this beautiful animal from extinction.

Rabinowitz, Rabinowitz, shining bright! This book must be read---a marvelous story well-told and an ongoing lesson for us all. Thank you, sir! Fascinating and relevant and eloquent.

I came to the "Valley of Death" after having read Rabinowitz's prior account of working in Burma. I'd also read and enjoyed his book about Thailand. I have fairly deep ties to SE Asia, esp. Thailand. I had the experience of seeing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi give one of her last public talks and was deeply touched by my travel in Burma during the 90s. Rabinowitz's book works well on a number of different levels. He describes the process of doing field research in a way that communicates the technical issues, the human relations issues, and the political considerations, and does it in a way that is matter of fact and accessible, while making the details interesting and vital. Rabinowitz's main concern is the protection of wildlife and their habitat, but he never loses sight of the people who have to share the environment with the tigers and other animals that he wishes to protect. He has a truly broad understanding of ecology, development, and conservation that is often missing when policies for environmental issues are discussed. Rabinowitz brings his personal life into the story, and describes his experience as a person with leukemia and as a man who is never far from the the things that brought him to nature and complicated his early life. He relates all this without evoking self-pity or letting his own story get in the way of protecting the tigers of northern Burma. Rabinowitz provides a useful overview of Burmese politics and provides a rather candid-sounding account of his dealings with a secretive totalitarian government. Some people will be put off by his willingness to deal with the Burmese regime, but he lays out his case as well as anyone could and I admire his ability to make things happen under the circumstances. The book should appeal to people who are interested in SE Asia (and Burma in particular), as well as those who are willing to engage environmental issues in a very practical way. Rabinowitz also writes well about science, without sounding like a scientist and people seeking careers in field work, even if it has nothing to do with tigers, can learn a lot from reading about his experience. The book ends with a note of optimism, but also plenty of realism. My hope is that we get to hear more from Rabinowitz and that we see get to see him make more strides for the tigers and their human neighbors in northern Burma.

While there has been a lot of criticism of Alan Rabinowitz's efforts in Myanmar, this book should put them to rest. Rabinowitz makes clear his desire to incorporate local stakeholders in the Hukawng Tiger Reserve and give them a surprisingly open voice in an otherwise closed society. Moreover, he makes a good argument that the reserve will bring aid and funds directly to villagers in northern Burma that otherwise might have been neglected. Some of the highlights in the book include Rabinowitz's meetings with high level Burmese officials, including former prime minister Khin Nyunt, and senior leaders of the KIO. I appreciate the fact that he wrote so openly of his relations with these officials, especially as some of them (particularly Khin Nyunt) are no longer in power and whose association could brand WCS with a stigma within Burma. Of course, the central story of the book, setting up the reserve, is full of adventure. I am also impressed by how intimately Rabinowitz shares his emotions and thoughts with the reader (and not always in a light that makes him look good). While I can't claim to know him well, he seems honest and straightforward in his account (a relief after reading so many political autobiographies). In short, this is a great book if you want to go beyond the very important headlines about Burma and see what it's really like to travel, work, and do conservation in this challenging but fascinating country (for those looking for books on Burma's politics, I highly recommend the books by David Steinberg and Thant Myint-U).