Overview

In Monsoon Postcards, journalist David H. Mould, notebook in hand, traverses the Indian Ocean--from Madagascar through India and Bangladesh to Indonesia. It's an unpredictable journey on battered buses, bush taxis, auto-rickshaws, and crowded ferries. Mould travels from the traffic snarls of Delhi, Dhaka, and Jakarta to the rice paddies and ancestral tombs of Madagascar's Central Highlands; from the ancient kingdom of Hyderabad to India's so-called chicken neck--the ethnically diverse and underdeveloped northeast; and from the textile factories and rivers of Bangladesh to the beaches of Bali and the province of Aceh--ground zero for the 2004 tsunami. Along the way, in markets, shops, roadside cafes, and classrooms, he meets journalists, professors, students, aid workers, cab drivers, and other everyday residents to learn how they view their past and future. Much like its predecessor, Mould's Postcards from Stanland, Monsoon Postcards offers witty and insightful glimpses into countries linked by history, trade, migration, religion, and a colonial legacy. It explores how they confront the challenges of climate change, urban growth, economic development, land, water and natural resources, and national and ethnic identity.

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9780821423714

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Reviews

Mould is the ideal author to demystify the region and its people.... (An) accomplished tome that covers topics ranging from culture and politics to history, the environment, economics, and human rights....VERDICT: With a sense of humor, Mould's memoir will ... stimulate interest in this lesser-known region. An illuminating travelogue through Central Asia.... As a genial travel guide, Mould, an academic who doesn't write like an academic, shows how one should resist the temptations to stereotype a culture too easily and understand it too quickly. Monsoon Postcards is replete with fascinating stories and useful background on far-flung places that most Americans don't know much about, and Mould, whose expertise is obvious, is an excellent traveling companion. This very good book is at its best when he's most curious, when he interweaves observations of colorful contemporary life with richly wrought history. -- David Wanczyk

Mould is the ideal author to demystify the region and its people.... (An) accomplished tome that covers topics ranging from culture and politics to history, the environment, economics, and human rights....VERDICT: With a sense of humor, Mould's memoir will ... stimulate interest in this lesser-known region. An illuminating travelogue through Central Asia.... As a genial travel guide, Mould, an academic who doesn't write like an academic, shows how one should resist the temptations to stereotype a culture too easily and understand it too quickly.

Mould is the ideal author to demystify the region and its people.... (An) accomplished tome that covers topics ranging from culture and politics to history, the environment, economics, and human rights....VERDICT: With a sense of humor, Mould's memoir will ... stimulate interest in this lesser-known region. An illuminating travelogue through Central Asia.... As a genial travel guide, Mould, an academic who doesn't write like an academic, shows how one should resist the temptations to stereotype a culture too easily and understand it too quickly. (Monsoon Postcards is) a travelogue with knowledge, guts and a sense of humour. Highly recommended. -- Tom Learmonth, photojournalist (Mould) finds out about a place before he sets off, and seeks out a deeper knowledge when he gets there. And what he discovers helps the reader make sense of what he sees and hears.... You cannot come away from a book like this and not feel that you have learned a significant amount about these large, vibrant, populous, expanding-but rarely discussed-nations. -- Alan Wilkinson, author of Between the Rockies and a Hard Place and The Red House on the Niabara Monsoon Postcards is replete with fascinating stories and useful background on far-flung places that most Americans don't know much about, and Mould, whose expertise is obvious, is an excellent traveling companion. This very good book is at its best when he's most curious, when he interweaves observations of colorful contemporary life with richly wrought history. -- David Wanczyk

(Monsoon Postcards) doesn't really read like a guidebook, it reads like you've got a friend who's really connected and committed to these cultures and (has) really been active in these cultures. It gives an intimate look at the people and the heritage. -- Rick Steves Monsoon Postcards is replete with fascinating stories and useful background on far-flung places that most Americans don't know much about, and Mould, whose expertise is obvious, is an excellent traveling companion. This very good book is at its best when he's most curious, when he interweaves observations of colorful contemporary life with richly wrought history. -- David Wanczyk (Monsoon Postcards is) a travelogue with knowledge, guts and a sense of humour. Highly recommended. -- Tom Learmonth, photojournalist (Mould) finds out about a place before he sets off, and seeks out a deeper knowledge when he gets there. And what he discovers helps the reader make sense of what he sees and hears.... You cannot come away from a book like this and not feel that you have learned a significant amount about these large, vibrant, populous, expanding-but rarely discussed-nations. -- Alan Wilkinson, author of Between the Rockies and a Hard Place and The Red House on the Niabara An illuminating travelogue through Central Asia.... As a genial travel guide, Mould, an academic who doesn't write like an academic, shows how one should resist the temptations to stereotype a culture too easily and understand it too quickly. Mould is the ideal author to demystify the region and its people.... (An) accomplished tome that covers topics ranging from culture and politics to history, the environment, economics, and human rights....VERDICT: With a sense of humor, Mould's memoir will ... stimulate interest in this lesser-known region.

Author Information

David H. Mould, professor emeritus of media arts and studies at Ohio University, has traveled widely in Asia and southern Africa as a trainer, consultant, and researcher. He has written articles and essays for many print and online publications. Born in the United Kingdom, he worked as a newspaper and TV journalist before moving to the United States in 1978.

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