The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century. By Thant Myint-U. New York: W. W. Norton, 2019. xiii, 304 pp. ISBN: 9781324003298 (cloth)

According to Thant Myint-U, the reforms ushered in by the Thein Sein government were truly groundbreaking, whereas the following Aung San Suu Kyi government has been a series of disappointments (p. 224). While the economy and poverty are supposedly core themes, the author does not identify a single study on these issues despite the growing body of literature.4 Although readers of this journal probably want to know how Thant Myint-U sees the relationship between Burma and the rest of Asia, Hidden History shows little interest in Asia beyond his beloved country. Reading this book makes us realize that it is far more difficult to envision inter-Asian ties for Burma today than it was seventy-five years ago, when Aung San declared that “Asia is marching” and Burma's future depended on the “helping hand” of other Asian nations.5 As we imagine Burma's different futures, inter-Asian relations deserve more thoughts than Thant Myint-U offers in Hidden History.6 1 Thant Myint-U prefers “Burma” to “Myanmar.”