Customer Reviews

For Us Surrender Is Out of the Question: A Story from Burma's Never-Ending War

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This book is not what you would expect from a non-fiction work about the history of Burma and the plight of its people. McClelland manages to make it personal to the reader, drawing many correlations to our way of life. Also, woven around the history and horrific facts of Burma, is a personal story of how the author spent time living with a group of Karen refugees in Thailand that provides a glimpse into the reality of their existence, thinking and day to day lives.

This is a moving story that will leave you wondering why you didn't know about the atrocities in Burma committed by its ruthless and heartless regime that continue to this day.

Excellent reading!

This is an eye-opening account into the current life of Burma refugees and I found appealing the raw style "For us Surrender is Out of the Question" is written in. The extensively researched historical details and McClelland's candid personal stories make the book genuine and authentic. The deeply affecting stories and people I cannot forget. It is unusual to find such a compelling read and history lesson in one book.

From the very first page, the author captures your attention and takes you on an adventure with her. Ms. McClelland certainly has a unique way with words and she continuously educates, surprises, entertains, and enlightens you. Extremely thorough in her historical research and vividly descriptive in sharing her personal interactions and experiences. I did not want this book to end. It left me definitely wanting more. I was so moved and inspired, I felt like packing a bag and volunteering in Burma much like she had. This is a must read book for everyone who cares about human suffering, peace, social justice, economic equality, and human rights.

Who else writes like this? I can't remember the last time something sounded so fresh and immediate. Reading this book was like being on the phone with my smart, cool friend who just came back from the refugee camp, and hearing her unvarnished stories, raw and genuine ("I'm a queen dork." The Junta "sucks." Or this, my favorite footnote: "?!"). Which is not to say it's in the least bit juvenile or gratuitous, but that in Mac's capable hands, even the longest stretches of political history percolate along, the way your favorite professor made even the dry stuff come alive.

But what made it a page turner for me was getting to know the refugees. The people, and Mac's interactions with them, provide the warm counterbalance to the relentlessly horrific story of modern Burma. I was dying to learn what happens to them, and to the refugee camps, and Burma.

Just an utterly unforgettable book.

I live in the Twin Cities in MN, where numerous refugees from Southeast Asia live. While the Hmong from neighboring Laos, the ethnic Lao, Vietnamese, and Khmer from Cambodia have received a great deal of attention from scholars and at least some community members, the Karen are still a mystery to most, including myself. As I read McClelland's account, I was struck with the similarities between the Hmong and the Karen--marginalized mountain people considered outside the bounds of civilization by mainstream society, converted in significant numbers to Christianity, some siding with a Western power to their detriment, and tragically divided amongst themselves. Both continue to operate resistance movements in Thailand and have "mystically" inspired individuals carrying on the fight. Thailand once again plays the corrupt villain in this story, expediently abandoning their former allies ("After decades of complicity, cooperation and sanctuary, Thailand has told the KNU [Karen National Union], which has long been largely based there, to get out and go back where it came from"); Western countries don't seem to understand or care about the situation in Burma (though Condoleeza Rice finally eased restrictions that kept many Karen out of the US), and the UN refuses to try to exert any meaningful influence. McClelland does a fine job of alternating between devastating statistics, horrific descriptions of torture and genocide, personal accounts of her work with a small band of Karen "terrorists," and thoughtful reflections on what it all means and what, if anything, can be done about it. As others have noted, hers is a more gritty, journalistic, less formal approach that serves her story very well and certainly kept me on the edge of my seat. A sense of mourning and outrage--sometimes simply rage--justifiably simmer beneath a good deal of the narrative. McClelland's shuffling between stories about the men she comes to know so well and the broader story about the Karen people also keeps the story from bogging down and, as previously noted, keeps one from being too mired in the absolutely depressing details of the Karen people's suffering (as well as that of the Shan, the Kachin, and others) and the Burmese government's complete and utter depravity. While not for the faint of heart, this book is an excellent starting point for anyone trying to make up for the inexcusable ignorance about Burma shared by most Westerners. By the time McClelland is riding to the bus station to leave her newfound friends for the infinitely safer environment of the US, you may want to weep with her. You will certainly be reminded of the many freedoms and safeties we so blithely take for granted, and may well be haunted by the sheer precariousness of life in places like Burma.

This was an incredibly informative book that vividly reveals the plight of the Karen refugees in Thailand and the situation in Burma. As enjoyable as it is disturbing. I can't decide who to give the book to next, so I might have to buy some extra copies to pass out. The line-by-line writing is great and reads as if Mac was telling you this story over drinks in a bar. She chooses perfect details to bring the people and places alive. I could smell the sweat and curry, and feel the heat and mosquitoes.
The balance of history, stats, and personal narrative are expertly done. Just when I couldn't take an account of the Burma situation any longer, you'd switch back to the narrative and make me laugh/cry. Mac's personal narrative helps illustrate the refugees without going off on personal tangents that distract from the main issues.

I loved the Mother Jones article and if the book is anything like the article, this book will be one of the greatest in human rights. The author's description makes you feel as though you are there with her. It really moved me. Thank you for such an incredible insight on an issue that most people know, including myself, know nothing about.

I must admit, that I was initially a little leery of reading a book about war, but was surprised at how easily Mac befriends the reader. She makes you feel like you know her personally, like people you meet at an AA meeting, where it is easy to spill your guts and cry out loud.
She is able to deliver the facts in a very personal way so the whole concept of war is very human and devastatingly so. She manages to offer just the right amount of reality and humor into an easy storytelling style.
This was one of my favorite books in 2011.

Interesting, well-written, funny, easy to read.

It was great to read a book about a serious subject written in the language of my generation.

This is one of the better histories/commentaries I've read on Burma, and I take angry exception to the vicious dismissal by the only negative reviewer. Can he have actually read the book? McClelland's experiences with refugees in Thailand serve as a jumping off place and a structure for the narrative. It is extremely well researched, compelling reading. It flows easily and addresses a lot of issues I've had problems with. Deeply sympathetic without hysteria. This is a valuable resource for anyone seeking genuine understanding, who is interested in really making a difference. Kudos to the author.