Two books I recently read were First They Killed my Father by Loung Ung (Cambodia)and When Heaven and Earth Changed Places by Le Ly Hayslip(Vietnam). Both are autoboigraphies about war and may help you to understand the local’s point of view. I wish I would have read them before I went but at least I’ll have the background for when I return! ~Amy

For India, Are You Experienced by William Sutcliffe is a must, and you can get that at any Kinokuniya, so no problems there.

For Japan, anything by the two Murakamis is excellent, although I like Haruki much better.

I can second the recommendation on First They Killed My Father as a great piece on Cambodia, so is Cambodia Year Zero. I think the author of First wrote another.

The Sorrow of War has been called one of the best books on the Viet Nam war and I can see why.

I have some more packed away but I will be organizing next weekend so I will add more.

Basically, the best books are the ones you will find on the streets and in the used shops wherever you go in SEA.

I have lots!

<i> Wild Swans </i> is the amazing and completely true story of 3 generations of Chinese women, spanning the pre-communist days, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. If it sounds like a girly book, it’s not. The focus isn’t on gender but on the way that living under oppressive governments warps personality and emotion.

<i> Bones of the Master </i> by George Crane is the story of a poet and a monk who return to Inner Mongolia to find and lay to rest the bones of the monk’s young master, who was too old to flee from Communist purges.

<i> The Ends of the Earth </i> by Robert D. Kaplan combines political analysis and travel stories. Areas covered include Turkey, multiple "stans," and northern China.

That Bob Kaplan book sounds really good. I have a copy of his "Balkan Ghosts" here which is really well written and entertaining.

Gonna look for it at Kinokuniya!

Catfish and Mandala by Andrew Pham. its a story of a Vietnamese-American man who travels back to Vietnam by bicycle as a personal voyage of discovery of self and country. I also agree with When Heaven and Earth Changed Places – a fantastic read.