A Short History of Laos
Book description
Laos, perhaps the least known country in mainland Southeast Asia, stands at the region's crossroads. This small 'land in between' is surrounded by China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Burma-countries that, in pre-modern times, provided Lao kings with a field for territorial expansion. But more often, Laos has been a bridge…
Why read it?
1 author picked A Short History of Laos as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Historian Grant Evans does a thorough and highly readable if academic job to introduce remote, mysterious, landlocked Laos, the land of a million elephants from its distant beginnings as a conglomeration of waxing and waning city-states to its French colonial era and tragic role in the Vietnam War, its current post-revolutionary stasis and persistent refusal to become a nation serving its citizens. Anyone contemplating a visit to Laos should carry this book in their luggage as it touches on almost all aspects, cultural and economic, historical, and societal of one of the last communist nations surviving today.
From Tom's list on Laos and the CIA's covert war there.
Want books like A Short History of Laos?
Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like A Short History of Laos.
Browse books like A Short History of Laos
5 book lists we think you will like!
Interested in Laos, the Vietnam War, and the CIA?
10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about Laos, the Vietnam War, and the CIA.