The Tragedy of Cambodian History: Politics, War, and Revolution since 1945
Intended as a sequel to the author's A History of Cambodia (Westview Pr., 1983), the current work does an excellent job of continuing the story from 1945 through 1979. External events and forces are important, but the account is centered on events within Cambodia. Furthermore, non-Communist activities receive much better attention than in Ben Kiernan's How Pol Pot Came to Power (Verso, 1985) or Craig Etcherson's Rise and Demise of Democratic Kampuchea ( LJ 7/84). Chandler's command of sources is superb, from the written documentation to the extensive use of interviews. And although coverage of the Pol Pot period is less detailed than in numerous other works, Chandler contributes a valuable attempt to understand the conditions and mentalities which led to its horrors. Highly recommended.- Kenneth W. Berger, Duke Univ. Lib., Durham, N.C.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.