There are bad things going on in Burma that you dont know about. Theres a civil war (the worlds longest running, in fact) raging between the government and ethnic rebels. Much of the United States heroin comes from there. And theres the small matter that America helped make it all possible with overt funding and the CIAs very first secret war. Of course, you wouldnt know any of this, because Burma is a country nearly shut out from the rest of the world, with the only footage of the carnage coming via groups of young, tough, booze-loving refugees who run into war zones to collect it. And with these refugees is where we find Mac McClelland embedded in her staggering debut, For Us Surrender Is Out of the Question. McClelland weaves a narrative that is part investigative journalism, part popular history, and part memoir of a Midwestern, twentysomething girl living with refugee activists on the Burma-Thailand border. Driven by the community McClelland is illegally aiding—a small group of brave young men and women—For Us Surrender Is Out of the Question is an urgent and fascinating look at a weary conflict, told by a bright, new voice.
