But there are three books that are regular on my bedside since the beginning of this year.
First, Gavin Menzies', 1421, The Year China Discovered the World.
I bought this book last December on Indonesia Book Fair. The real prize was Rp75000, but I got it for only Rp49000 (still one of the expensive books I've ever bought).
The book's content amazed me. It's a kind of re-writing world history that attempted to tell us that Magellan, Colombus and other Western discoverers were only followers of a path built by Chinese sailors under the command of Zheng-He (or Cheng-Ho, his popular name in Indonesia) on Emperor Zhu-Di era.
I like Menzies' style in writing. Seemed that he's trying to be honest, because the greatest part he did for the book was arranging other people's work ; he wondered everytime he found a match in his research; he wanted to make sure that the proof are not coincidences. He showed that he's only a writer for things that alresdy exist, for history that never be written in decent manner.
You may find many discussion and critics about the book when you surf on internet. Americans, many of them, don't feel comfortable about replacing their superior Colombus with Chinese wanderers they never heard before. As for me, I do not have enough scientific authority to judge whether all the writer said in the book are true or not, but I really respect all research he's done for the book. He said it took him forty years of research; here, there and everywhere. He went to many parts of the world in finding and matching the proof to support his theory. It inspired me, at least to think that when there's a will, there's a way, especially when I get stuck in finishing one of my writing work.
For me, it's still a book on my priority list to read again and again.
Here's a book that I would like to copy for my own book (someday! I'm still working on it). Not the story of course, but the way the writer doing. Like Menzies, Javier Cercas is the main character; he made series of research and interviews before presenting the story to be printed. He also tried to be humble, he told situation he faced in unifying the stories he collected from many sources, the confusion he felt upon them, and how he finally decided to present them.
The story itself was a story I've never aware before. The background is civil war in Spain in late 1930s. I found out that a Spanish movie was made based on this book. I think because the topic is not familiar or interesting for Indonesian readers, I'm very lucky to have this book only for Rp10000, about a year ago in Jakarta Book Fair.
The latest book I bought in last Jakarta Book Fair, June 2007. If you go to major bookstores, the prize is about Rp55000, or you may save 20% if you directly order it from the publisher. Lucky me again, I only had to pay Rp20000 in the Book Fair.
The story is fictitious, but the background is real, kind of historical story I like to explore. It's about the life of a Chinese boy graduated from America and found himself involved in student movement in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, June 1989. The interesting part of the book is the writer put three persons' point of view to relate the events. When I read about "the dictator" part that represents Kamerad Deng Xaoping, I must force myself to put in mind that doing research seriously is important, even if I want to create an imaginary story.
Why do I still put these books on my bedside? Because they make me contemplate about many possibilities in life, particularly in our young age. You'll never find out what life is like if you never open your shell and go out. You can't say that know someone very well, even your beloved one, before the hardest thing happen and reveal the truth about to them.
Oh, I have to confess something. Just because I put the book covers on English and Spanish edition, it doesn't mean that read them in the original version. It's the result of the searching on google, I put the covers only to impress you. And to intimidate you as well because I use English for my blog postings. Thanks to the translators work for Alvabet and Serambi publishers, I've read the Indonesian version.
Go, now. You may read them if you want.
