Indonesia, Etc.

Exploring the Improbable Nation

By: Elizabeth Pisani

Narrated by: Jan Cramer

An entertaining and thought-provoking portrait of Indonesia: a rich, dynamic, and often maddening nation awash with contradictions. Jakarta tweets more than any other city on earth, but 80 million Indonesians live without electricity and many of its communities still share in ritual sacrifices. Declaring independence in 1945, Indonesia said it would "work out the details of the transfer of power etc. as soon as possible." With over 300 ethnic groups spread across 13,500 islands, the world's fourth most populous nation has been working on that "etc." ever since.

Bewitched by Indonesia for twenty-five years, Elizabeth Pisani recently traveled 26,000 miles around the archipelago in search of the links that bind this impossibly disparate nation. Fearless and funny, Pisani shares her deck space with pigs and cows, bunks down in a sulfurous volcano, and takes tea with a corpse. Along the way, she observes Big Men with child brides, debates corruption and cannibalism, and ponders "sticky" traditions that cannot be erased.

©2014 Elizabeth Pisani (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Very informative and entertaining book

Any additional comments?

I like this book. The author is very candid on her impressions and made some effort to put things on context. I wish somebody would write something like this for my country (Philippines). Indonesians and Filipinos seems to have a lot of similarities.

Interesting and informative.

It's a little hard to listen to with the sing song narration. The performer seems like a mismatched to the writing style. We tried to listen to it on a road trip and after a few minutes we looked at each other and said pass.

I came back to it because I wanted to learn about Indonesia and I'm glad that I listened to it. The author is obviously smart and the content is interesting, but sometimes it feels like a text book.

Fascinating look hidden away places of Indonesia

I frequently travel to remote parts of Indonesia. This book captures so much of what I've experienced. Well written and wonderfully read.

So true....

I'm an America who moved to Indonesia 2 1/2 years ago and listened to this book shortly after arriving here. I found Pisani's insights into this country so helpful as I adjusted to the culture. There have been numerous times when her descriptions about places and events have leapt into my mind as I've encountered them in real life. And, last month, now that I've lived here a while and have somewhat adjusted to no longer being a "newbie", I listened to it again! A lot more sunk in this second time around given everything I've experienced over the past several years. I have recommended this book to every new expat that I've met. There's no better introduction to life in Indonesia than Indonesia, Etc.

Hello Mister, read this books!

Eliz Pisani's descriptive writing made listening to her book on Audible like looking at a picture book of Indonesia. I picture her standing in a village post office with a purple ribbon of mosquito netting tied around her ankle securing her sandal to her foot, all the while with a poor squawking chicken hanging from her arm, doing etc on the post office floor.

I recommend this eye-popping, jaw-dropping, head scratching book to anyone craving an adventure in a book. Who knows, even if you have no intention of ever traveling to Indonesia when you start the book, you may decide to go visit this bad boyfriend when you finish.

Not my usual cup of tea, but...

This book is largely a travelogue with just enough history to explain the backstory of the experiences. I normally prefer straight histories, but this book really gave a great flavor of what the disparate island cultures are really like. I had no idea there were so many differences (probably because most of the Indonesians I meet work in the same industry). I now feel much-better equipped to talk with those I meet without making a fool of myself out of ignorance.

Capturing the essence of Indonesia

What made the experience of listening to Indonesia, Etc. the most enjoyable?

If you want to know, I mean really start to know Indonesia this book is a great place to start. It wont tell you everything, no book can. What it does do is give you a varied and in-depth information about the people, politics, and culture of Indonesia. I dare say no other book provides such an accurate snapshot of Indonesian culture. The author is informed, non-judgmental, and has the years of experience necessary to explain some of the nuances of the culture.

What does Jan Cramer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A good narrator that fits ones impressions and expectations of the the author.

Fascinating book!

I love how this book weaves personal narrative and history/geography together to give a portrait of the country of Indonesia as a whole. The author does an excellent job conveying what a miracle it is that Indonesia even exists as a nation, given how massive and diverse of a country it is. The accounts of her travels are daring, colorful, and funny, and she brings the historical and sociological background information into the story in an organic and interesting way. The narrator for the audiobook is very expressive and engaging and fits the material well, one of the best non-fiction narrators I've heard so far.

Indonesian speakers beware!!

What made the experience of listening to Indonesia, Etc. the most enjoyable?

I really enjoyed the perspective of the writer. Having lived in Indonesia, Jakarta only. It was nice to hear more about the other provinces.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jan Cramer?

I would have preferred to have the narrator pronounce the Indonesia words closer to the correct Indonesian pronunciation. There were far too many times the narrator's pronunciation of Indonesian words were so far from correct, I had no idea what she was saying. It forced me to rewind the narration and listen two or three times before I was able to decipher the word. I don't know why the author allowed this to happen.

Any additional comments?

The story was compelling enough for me to struggle through the poor pronunciation. Please Dr. Pisani, don't let anyone convince you to Anglicize the pronunciation of Indonesian words in books about Indonesia.

Great primer and travelogue of a diverse place

Plenty of culture and politics while traveling.

This book is a great 'off the beaten path' travelogue with ongoing social and political commentary. Keeps you interested til the end.