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A Brief History of Indonesia

Sultans, Spices, and Tsunamis: The Incredible Story of Southeast Asia's Largest Nation

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A Brief History of Indonesia

By: Tim Hannigan
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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About this listen

Indonesia is by far the largest nation in Southeast Asia and has the fourth-largest population in the world after the United States. Indonesian history and culture are especially relevant today as the island nation is an emerging power in the region with a dynamic new leader. It is a land of incredible diversity and unending paradoxes that has a long and rich history stretching back a thousand years and more.

Indonesia is the fabled "Spice Islands" of every school child's dreams - one of the most colorful and fascinating countries in history. These are the islands that Europeans set out on countless voyages of discovery to find and later fought bitterly over in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. This was the land that Christopher Columbus sought, and Magellan actually reached and explored. One tiny Indonesian island was even exchanged for the island of Manhattan in 1667!

This fascinating history book tells the story of Indonesia as a narrative of kings, traders, missionaries, soldiers, and revolutionaries, featuring stormy sea crossings, fiery volcanoes, and the occasional tiger.

©2015 Tim Hannigan (P)2019 Tantor Asia Colonialism & Post-Colonialism Indonesia Politics & Government Southeast Asia World South East Asia
All stars
Most relevant
This book is a revelation for me as an Indonesian with Dutch lineage, with a connection that can be traced to the sixth Sultan of Jogjakarta, a Christian, with Moslems and Buddhist cousins, and a grandfather who joined Peta and rose to the ranks of General in the army division of Dipenogoro at Jogjakarta. Sometimes I ask myself, who am I?

The book helps me understand the big melting pot that is Indonesia. It clears up some of the legends and propaganda spread through school textbooks as I grew up. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and on many occasions repeated some of the chapters.

I hope more Indonesian read the book without prejudice, and with open minds.

Understanding Indonesia

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What a truly pleasant listen, under the vicious violent vicissitudes of a nation, history has repeatedly rewritten itself,
with the same unsurprising outcome.
When the value of a human life is the sum of nothing, one must consider the global culture that allows us to turn a blind eye to humanity’s inhumanity to humanity on an island older than time.
Tim Hannigan’s brilliant collection of words literalizing past to present Indonesia, is superb in the hands of Derek Perkins eloquent narration, tremendous result gentlemen, much appreciated. :-)

Was on the wish list after first page

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I knew little Indonesian history before reading this book apart from the names of early presidents and the Timor Leste story. I found this very interesting and accessible. I enjoyed but had to listen twice a few times in case I missed parts.

Great Overview

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The author does well to bridge old scrolls and contemporary reportage in threading together the stories of this massive and disparate nation state. I enjoyed it.

An engaging weaving of histories

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I think the only thing missing for me was natural history was only touched on and the obvious exclusion of the Krakatoa eruption. Probably should have been called ‘a human history’. Otherwise excellent.

Excellent short history

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Loved this soo much! Historically speaking it’s definitely considered, but also, and more to the point, it’s wonderfully written.!

A literary masterpiece

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Engagingly told. If you are after a background in Indonesian history, this is a very good place to start.

Excellent introduction to Indonesian history

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Wonderful overview of a fascinating country. History clearly told with interesting introductions to each chapter. Left me keen to no more. Well read.

Excellent

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A great introduction to the history of Indonesia, if a bit Java-centric, but the pronunciations of the Indonesians names are wrong and quite jarring for anyone familiar with them or the language.

Good history, shame about the pronunciations

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You'll come away with a good overall timeline plus a few key names and events. Great narrator who I will weirdly miss

wonderful

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