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  • Published: 2 November 2021
  • ISBN: 9789814954259
  • Imprint: PRH SEA
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $40.00
Categories:

Whispers of Hope

A Family Memoir of Myanmar



The story Myanmar in a way not heard before, seen through the eyes of a Burmese family spanning the twentieth century

As a British teenager, I meet a beautiful Burmese girl on the school bus. Her family self-exiled in 1964, soon after the military coup, to start a new life in England. My fascination is fired for this far-off land.
How did Burma, with such a regal past, swathed in natural beauty and populated by a people of unmistakable poise and serenity slide into repression and obscurity? How can the up-beat memories of April's parents be reconciled with Myanmar's current malaise?
Over 16 years I recorded the oral history, anecdotes and reminiscences of her family who were eye witnesses to momentous events in mid-century Burma. These together with more recent conversations - with Aung San Suu Kyi and a range of Burmese millennials - provide a unique portrait of Myanmar stretching back to April's great, great grandfather in 1852.
For all the woes of this country, whispers of hope can be heard.

  • Published: 2 November 2021
  • ISBN: 9789814954259
  • Imprint: PRH SEA
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $40.00
Categories:

About the author

Chris Mabey

Chris Mabey is an Emeritus Professor of Leadership at Middlesex University Business School and became a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society in 2002.
He has held a career-long interest in how organizations develop their leaders. More recently his research and writing have turned to leading ethical leadership and the enigma of cultural leadership in Myanmar. He recently led an ESRC-funded Seminar Series on Ethical Leadership: Philosophical and Spiritual Approaches.
Chris has 11 academic books to his name (and 20 or more refereed papers), each subject to critical peer-review. One text he authored in Human Resource Management has sales of 21,500 to date.

Praise for Whispers of Hope

. . . a fascinating manuscript. It's so rich in texture and colour that it is like an enigmatic painting with so many bright as well as dark shades in it leaving the viewer in awe as well as a bit sad. It also brings out things that you see as a non- Myanmar which we do not notice or are oblivious of. I think many Myanmar as well as others who are interested in our country will find your book very refreshing and vibrant as you have written in a warm, friendly way, touching vividly on many areas, of the past and the present, from an emotional as well as psychological angle

Kyi Kyi May, former BBC Correspondent to Myanmar, BBC

. . . affecting, influential, challenging, educational, balanced and compassionate. And of course, while the boundary is that of Burma, it extends well beyond that, into some resonant place in our souls. The research is painstakingly but not loudly done. It draws upon sources sparingly, and give all credit where credit is due. This gives an air of trustworthiness, of reliability to the entire project. The mix of narrative voices - often complimentary, sometimes contradictory - brings much colour, vibrancy, immediacy to the piece

Dr Daniel Doherty, founder of the Critical Coaching Research Group, UK, Critical Coaching Research Group, UK

It is wonderful as a collection of personal stories, interspersed with reference to political and historical reports. I found your speculation of the position and silence of Aung San Suu Kyi helpful. The later chapters illustrating what young activists are doing were inspirational . . . Having looked for things to read about Myanmar prior to my visit a year ago, I feel confident that this book is a unique and contemporary addition to what exists.

Dr Clare Rigg, Senior Lecturer, University of Liverpool, University of Liverpool