Sadanand Dhume

Simplistically put, Indonesia's problems can be seen as the growing pains of a young nation searching for identity. What is it to be Indonesian? I found My Friend the Fanatic to be an interesting look into these issues from the point of view of an atheist journalist from India seeking answers from Islamic fundamentalists fighting against secular values.

Dhume writes of the stark contrasts in Indonesia and the conflicts in politics and ideology. His work has made me curious about Indonesia and its history.… (más)

I had a hard time connecting with this book and I'm not sure why. I finally finished it but had to struggle to get there. I don't know exactly why I didn't connect. I had a hard time following the book's trajectory and at times wondered where it was going. Maybe someone else can give a better response than me. It just seemed rather directionless. Yes, it is part political analysis and part travelogue. I've been to Bali and Java and to the place of the bombing (before it happened). I love Indonesian culture. Parts of the book were a nice nostalgic look at the country, but the book just didn't give me enough of a clear picture of Indonesia. I just didn't get much of a visual image from the description. And I'm just not that into delving into political aspects in much more than a superficial way. I think if a person was interested in Indonesia political climate this book might be more for them. It did make me want to read more Indonesian fiction, though.… (más)

This book provided some interesting information, but I found it a bit difficult to digest. The combination of anecdotal travelogue observation and political analysis didn't seem to be well integrated. It certainly didn't make Indonesia sound a very an appealing country, but it is hard to tell which aspects of this are due to the radical Islam that the author focuses on, or just the social milieu and cultural expectations of ordinary working-class Indonesians.

The title and subtitle misled me somewhat, as they make no mention of Indonesia (or Bali, whose bombing is the main trigger for interest in the topic). It was not until actually opening the book that I discovered what it was about. Although I kept going for some time, I have to confess that the topic did not really engage me sufficiently to pursue the book right to the end. For someone based in southern Asia or Australiasia it may have more relevance.… (más)