Indonesian islands visited: Flores, Bali, Sulawesi
LOCAL MEDIA
Indonesia, etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation by Elizabeth Pisani (nonfiction book): I broke my rule about reading only local books written by locals (not foreign outsiders) because I had heard so many good things about this one. It was written by an Irish woman fluent in Bahasa Indonesian, who worked as a journalist in Jakarta for many years, and then as a public health consultant for the federal government. The book fit somewhere between travel writing (which I don’t normally like) and long-form narrative journalism (which I do like). It gave history and context, describing life and politics in islands across Indonesia, but with a focus on the eastern islands (where we have mostly been traveling). It made for remarkably enjoyable and insightful reading, which helped provide a framework for understanding what we have been seeing. And despite the very varied cultures, we have been able to see some similarities (good, bad, and banal) across islands— the display of buffalo horns outside traditional houses, as a display of clan wealth; the local politics of small gangs (“preman”) running bits of local business (e.g., not allowing Uber-like companies to run in specific neighborhoods to keep up a taxi mafia) and likely supported by police/politicians; the proliferation of small districts forming so that more people can be public servants (and enjoy the legal and illegal dues granted by such status); the striking breadth of the Indonesian language (even in remote villages, the elders can speak some bahasa); and of course the ever-present childs’ chants of “hello mister” or”hello madam” wherever we go. Highly recommended for anyone going to Indonesia, or wanting to understand it.
Beauty is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan (fiction book) - This was a fascinating example of contemporary Indonesian lit. It is a bizarre, multi-generational folk tale with magic-realist elements in which everyone (man, animal, dog, or ghoul) acts strangely; sex and rape are banal; women’s only source of power (and pain) is their beauty; and the power dynamics shift over time (from the Dutch, to the Japanese, to the army, and then to myriad preman gangsters) but never to the benefit of the population. It was honestly one of the strangest books I have ever read, and I don’t know if I liked it or not. (International critics, however, did: it was on several eminent “best books” lists.)
The Act Of Killing, directed by Joshua Oppenheimer (documentary) - This film, which made the film festival circuit, was hugely influential in Indonesia, for bringing attention to the government-sanctioned mass killings of “communists” (including many political opponents and innocent Chinese Indonesians) under President Suharto, and to the still-prevalent power of the paramilitary and gangster forces who actually executed the killings. Prior to this, the average Indonesian had not seriously and publicly considered the role of paramilitaries, or the “rooting out” of communists, as historically problematic. It is equal parts fascinating and disturbing.
One of the most interesting parts of traveling has been to see how local traditions/belief systems have melded with new Muslim, Hindu (Bali), Christian (Tana Toraja, Sulawesi), or Catholic (western Flores) ones. One interesting piece showcasing this is BBC Documentary’s podcast episode on “Sex Mountain” (Gunung Kemukus) in Java, where Muslims believe that having extramarital sex on this mountain will bring them financial/business success.
“When Death Doesn’t Mean Goodbye” (NatGeo) [h/t Wuryati]: A great look at a society in Sulawesi that views death completely differently than we do. Death is the point of life. So corpses are mummified and kept at home until the family can afford a good (days-long, animal-sacrifice-filled) funeral, after which they are left in caves, and retrieved every few years for worship and re-dressing. (We are currently in this region learning more about the culture, visiting the catacomb caves, attending a community funeral, etc.)
LONG FORM
“What the Hell Happened to Darius Miles?” By Darius Miles (Players Tribune): A great, rollicking read, from the horse’s mouth, on what it’s like to be drafted out of high school from the inner city to the NBA, and then to lose it all.
“YouTubers Will Enter Politics, and the Ones Who Do are Probably Going to Win” (Buzzfeed): From Brazil, a foreshadowing of what politics everywhere will look like in the future: power will go to those who know how to control social media narratives. (The MLB group of 20-somethings have gotten multiple members elected to public office. They also have managed to be on the front page of YouTube every day for the 30 days preceding this article’s publication.) [Also, sidenote: MAN has Buzzfeed News gotten legitimately good.]
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis: This book was incredibly frustrating. The point was to portray how incompetent the Trump administration is at performing basic government responsibilities (a bit too easy, and thus boring, premise). Instead, the book COULD have simply argued: most Americans don’t know what our federal agencies do, and that’s a pity because, look here, these agencies do really cool and important things. And that, ultimately, is why I would still recommend this short book: because it provides great insight into the function of institutions like the weather bureau (which, strangely, sits inside the Dept of Commerce). Lewis, after all, is a master at turning the arcane, fascinating. The best chapter is the final one on NOAA and tornadoes.
PODCASTERY
Reply All: “The Crime Machine parts 1 and 2” - I love it when PJ reports on real hard-hitting issues (eg healthcare.gov). In this 2-parter, he looks at how a data-driven algorithm went from helping the NYPD solve crimes even for poor, marginalized victims — to victimizing the very communities the system was meant to protect.
TED radio hour: Quite enjoyed “Hacking the Law” (especially the two speakers on bail bond funds, and on randomized civic representation) and “The Right to Speak” (I have mixed feelings on the subject).
Although I haven’t loved the last 2 episodes of Heavyweight, I still think this is my favorite podcast right now— because when it’s good, it’s absolute gold. For the uninitiated, good episodes to start with: #2 Gregor, #9 Milt, and #14 Isabel.
Werner is really feeling the new season of Serial, in which each episode focuses on a different ordinary case, highlighting how the American justice system works (or does not work).