Customer Reviews

Jakarta Inside Out

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It's rare to come across a book that truly is valuable for novice and expert alike, that informs about serious matters while entertaining the reader, and that can be read quickly and yet is a "keeper" for one's library. In Jakarta Inside Out, Daniel Ziv has written one of the best insider's guides to the dirty, messy, smelly, and yet fascinating Indonesian capital. In a series of one and two page essays on various categories peculiar to Jakarta, Ziv gives the reader new to things Indonesian a great introduction to the capital and country, and yet the long-time expert will also find much of value--not the least of which is Ziv's style. His text is a hoot, and the photographs he has chosen capture all the wackiness of Jakarta. Let's hope Ziv changes jobs frequently, allowing him similar sojourns in various Asian capitals and opportunities to produce more essential guides like Jakarta Inside Out.

A very entertaining book, with many great accompanying photos. I am a native Jakartan living in the US, and when I found this book it instantly took me back to my hometown. This book reveals to the reader aspects of Jakarta not found in guidebooks, like the myriads of ice-drink concoctions to the ever-present Bajaj, arranged by the author in alphabetical order. Daniel Ziv has an intimate understanding of the city's many elements and he dishes them out in a way that blends the informative with humor and a bit of an irreverent tweak. I would recommend this to anyone who plans on relocating or spending an extended time in Jakarta, as well as to any travelers who gets a kick out of learning a bit deeper into the soul of the city they are visiting. The other book I would recommend highly is Culture Shock: Jakarta by Derek Bacon.