A Brief History of Indonesia -- Take 2

A Brief History of Indonesia: Sultans, Spices, and Tsunamis: The Incredible Story of Southeast Asia's Largest Nation is exactly what it purports to be, and I very much appreciate that about it. Specifically, it meets both the expectations set by its title and subtitle, and also in its introduction, which promises a non-academic review of the long and tumultuous history of this portion of the Malay archipelago.

For us westerners, it's easy for a country like Indonesia to be ignored.  It's not one of the world's military superpowers; it's not the exclusive source of any particular product which we Americans must have; its economy overall is pretty much in shambles domestically, not to mention internationally.

But that doesn't mean that it doesn't have a fascinating history of discovery, exploitation, and resistance.  As a nation of islands in southeast Asia, it was perfectly positioned to be central to the spice trade -- together with all the good and bad things that came along with that.  If you want to learn about them, this book is a pretty good introduction.