Title: Of Roots and Wings: A Memoir
Author: Wai Wai Myaing
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1491778722
Pages: 288
Genre: Biography & Autobiography / Cultural Heritage
Reviewed by: Krista Schnee

 

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Pacific Book Review

For young Wai Wai Myaing, the independence of Burma was a momentous occasion, both for her own family as well as that of her country. Much hope surrounded the country’s new-found freedom and the lifting of the burden of colonialism. Insurrection and instability lay ahead, however, Myaing’s family members were often affected, whether through their work or the influence of Marxist ideology. Luckily for Myaing, her family was close and provided her with a loving and stable basis from which to begin her life. Even with a backdrop of political change, her days were often filled with delicious food, family visits, edifying stories, and simple fun. Throughout her childhood and teenage years, Myaing learned the importance of culture and traditions even as she began to look ahead toward the future and adult life.

Successful and ambitious, Myaing did well in primary school and college, eventually studying abroad in London. She, like her other younger family members, often traveled in search of work and greater opportunities. Always, though, her heart lay with her parents, siblings, and extended family back home. It was there that she married her husband, Ko Soe Myint, and began their new life together. His position would lead to their spending lengthy periods away from home. Myaing kept in touch with her family as much as possible during these times, even though restrictions on travel and communication grew stricter. She had children and enjoyed the experience of the exotic locales but returned home for work and familiar faces. Her family would weather very tough times together, but there was always rejoicing and gratitude. As her own children began to leave home, she would join them for vacations abroad, enjoying the various cultural offerings, always returning home in the end.

In Of Roots and Wings: A Memoir, Wai Wai Myaing continues her family story beginning with Burma’s independence and continuing through her retirement. In this second half of the story, she provides the reader with not only a personal history but also an overview of the culture and political turmoil of Burma, or Myanmar. For those with limited knowledge of this country, much of this information will be new. However, it is not dull. Indeed, Myaing’s writing is often colorful and full of passion, describing her own Buddhist traditions in detail along with the various tasty foods, plants, and homes that her family enjoyed. This is more than a personal memoir; it provides valuable insight regarding Myanmar history as well as a philosophical questioning of the importance of culture and tradition in an increasingly modern world.

This book may likely appeal most to those interested in Asian history and culture. However, anyone would benefit from reading this quite personal memoir and pondering the questions proposed regarding culture and modernity. With its inclusion of explanations of Myanmar history and politics, along with pictures of the country and Myaing’s family, it is a much-needed addition to the writing on the country and its culture. Myaing is scholarly in her writing while still being personable and engaging. Certainly, although written as a family history, this book is much more than that. Wai Wai Myaing’s Of Roots and Wings: A Memoir deserves a place in both university and family libraries and will be sure to be loved and appreciated by many.

This family story begins in the colonial days of Myanmar (then called Burma), and it’s an important historical account that sheds light on the country’s people, history, and place in the world. Continuing the account she began in A Journey in Time, Wai Wai Myaing picks up with her family’s return to Myanmar’s capital city of Yangon after allied forces reoccupied the country in the aftermath of World War Ii. They discovered their family home had been torched to the ground, but they bravely put themselves to the task of rebuilding their lives and celebrated as the country regained its independence January 4, 1948. The family’s fortunes, however, were subject to the winds of political change, which bent and shaped their lives. Independence brought with it factions that fought for power-and not all of them had the people’s best interests at heart. Filled with pictures and history that must not be forgotten, this memoir is one story of one family, which-like so many others in Myanmar-places great value on education, traditions, and sustaining a peaceful life with integrity, generosity, and a strong faith in the teachings of the Buddha.
Wai Wai Myaing studied at the University of Rangoon and the London School of Economics and Political Science. She retired in 2014 after forty-seven years as an educator. She is married with two children and three grandchildren and lives in Yangon, Myanmar.