BOOK REVIEW

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You can imagine the author on his rooftop in Chinatown, ending his book on that note, his chin quivering and a stirring soundtrack in his whiskey-soaked head as he looks to the clear "blue skies" which signify freedom.

You may have noticed that I’ve ignored the Karen people and their struggle myself in this review. That’s because this book isn’t about Karen State or the revolution. It’s not about civil war in Burma. It’s about Mike Tucker. He cajoled Karen soldiers into forced labor for his midlife crisis. He didn’t repay a debt; he got a free trek. And he didn’t write a book to publicize their plight; he produced this slim volume to get noticed. Most armchair warriors stay at home wistfully leafing through Guns & Ammo, but Tucker came to the border to endanger the lives of people he poorly understands in a conflict he has no stake in. He is now working with Peshmurga guerillas in Kurdistan, another clear demonstration of his commitment to the Karen. The publisher further informs us that he is a "special correspondent" for EGO magazine, based in the Ukraine. Another victory for truth being stranger than fiction.

David Scott Mathieson is a doctoral student at the Australian National University.