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drillvoice's review against another edition
4.0
Quite a journey reading this one! Really interesting. Not quite 'light travel memoir', actually quite historical and informative, a fair bit meatier than other, comparable works. I got a much better understanding of the diversity of Indonesia and its recent history. Impressive how the author weaves together such disparate experiences and creates a book that hangs together well.
jwsg's review against another edition
4.0
Pisani has a knack for taking people off the beaten track. First in The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels, and the Business of AIDS, where she recounts her experience as an AIDS researcher in Indonesia, which bring her into contact with bureaucrats, scientists, politicians, prostitutes, drug addicts, gays and many others that don't fit into the neat checkboxes of official surveys and reports. Indonesia, Etc is Pisani's love letter to the sprawling archipelago that she terms the "Improbable Nation" and all its contradictions. This isn't a book about the typical places a foreigner would visit in Indonesia - Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, Padang, Bandung, etc. Pisani's itinerary included:
- Jakarta to Waikabubak, Sumba (air)
- Sumba to Flores via the monthly Pelni ferry
- Flores to Lembata on a rickety wooden boat that makes the crossing once a week then onward to Savu
- Savu to Kupang in the west of Timor via the Peni ferry, then onward to Saumlaki in the Malukus via perentis boat
- Kei island in the Malukus
- Sangihe in Sulawesi
- Langsa in Aceh
- Lhokseumawe in Aceh to Tangse by bus
- Pontianak in W Kalimantan to Sintang by bus
- Pontianak to Solo by boat
Through Pisani, we see the ground up perspective on issues such as: decentralisation and the creation of new districts around Indonesia; ethnic strife; the Arabization of Islam in Indonesia; the country's infrastructure; the spread of migrant communities around Indonesia such as the Minang and their nasi padang; the sharp differences between life in Jakarta/Java, and the rest of Indonesia where the notion of adat dominates daily life.
A fascinating read for anyone interested in an alternative lens on Indonesia.
- Jakarta to Waikabubak, Sumba (air)
- Sumba to Flores via the monthly Pelni ferry
- Flores to Lembata on a rickety wooden boat that makes the crossing once a week then onward to Savu
- Savu to Kupang in the west of Timor via the Peni ferry, then onward to Saumlaki in the Malukus via perentis boat
- Kei island in the Malukus
- Sangihe in Sulawesi
- Langsa in Aceh
- Lhokseumawe in Aceh to Tangse by bus
- Pontianak in W Kalimantan to Sintang by bus
- Pontianak to Solo by boat
Through Pisani, we see the ground up perspective on issues such as: decentralisation and the creation of new districts around Indonesia; ethnic strife; the Arabization of Islam in Indonesia; the country's infrastructure; the spread of migrant communities around Indonesia such as the Minang and their nasi padang; the sharp differences between life in Jakarta/Java, and the rest of Indonesia where the notion of adat dominates daily life.
A fascinating read for anyone interested in an alternative lens on Indonesia.
chiarainthebooks's review against another edition
3.0
Very mid, some interesting anecdotes and observations
georgina_bawden's review against another edition
4.0
On the whole I felt this struck the right balance of informative and entertaining. I liked the structure, where the author's journey through various parts of the country lead to musings on specific themes such as religion, commerce, politics and tradition. I learned a lot!
I did find the dated way of referring to trans women grating. I'm choosing to see it as dated usage (since trans language has evolved fast in recent years) rather than transphobia, but it still felt like the trans identity of individuals was referenced when it wasn't necessary to the narrative.
I think this sits under the creative nonfiction umbrella as the tone is part travelogue, part memoir. It's a form I have been particularly enjoying of late.
I did find the dated way of referring to trans women grating. I'm choosing to see it as dated usage (since trans language has evolved fast in recent years) rather than transphobia, but it still felt like the trans identity of individuals was referenced when it wasn't necessary to the narrative.
I think this sits under the creative nonfiction umbrella as the tone is part travelogue, part memoir. It's a form I have been particularly enjoying of late.
cofetty's review against another edition
4.0
What I loved about this book were all the intimate insights into the daily life of rural Indonesians. It is not easy for an average traveler with no knowledge of Indonesian language to venture so deep into the rural parts, but thanks to Elizabeth Pisani we can get a glimpse! The book provides a ton of hilarious anecdotes about local traditions and customs, most of which warmed my heart towards the Indonesians, but also got me wondering if we are truly in the same century.
What I didn't love was the unnecessarily complex structure of the text, which made it a tedious and slow read. The narrative itself was easy to follow even with non-linear timeline due to woven-in references to Elizabeth's prior trips a decade or two earlier. But I felt like there were many unnecessary details and over-complicated language structures without which I would have enjoyed the book twice as much!
What I didn't love was the unnecessarily complex structure of the text, which made it a tedious and slow read. The narrative itself was easy to follow even with non-linear timeline due to woven-in references to Elizabeth's prior trips a decade or two earlier. But I felt like there were many unnecessary details and over-complicated language structures without which I would have enjoyed the book twice as much!
annabookbananza's review against another edition
4.0
It was interesting learning more about Indonesia. Did not know about how diverse the different islands were. Just got a little dry for some of the historical parts for me.