BLACK
RICE BY K. M. Kaung
Review
by Rosalind Lacy MacLennan
K.
M. Kaung's beautifully crafted, fascinating BLACK RICE, told in 42 pages, is a
must-read to fully understand modern Myanmar. Fractionalized political groups, that emerged
after Independence in 1948 from the British Empire, strive for domination.
This
well-constructed narrative builds to an ultimate high point, a twist of luck,
at the end that left me gasping.
As for structure, the black rice
metaphor works well throughout the telling of the civil war with the Karens. We follow the first person account from Black
Rice, who escapes his alcoholic, violent stepfather, only to fight in an army,
struggling to hold together a split nation, crumbling apart in internecine
warfare.
It's
a jungle where no one can be trusted, far from the romantic jingoism of a
Rudyard Kipling adventure tale.
What Kaung succeeds in showing us is
the ugly and false belief that light skin is superior to dark, the divided
loyalties between self-preservation and any form of idealism.
References
to historical characters like Thakin Aung San, the politically savvy general
and activist, who liberated Burma from Britain, and who was the father of Nobel
Peace Prize Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, anchor us along the way.
Good
show!
FIRST
DRAFT: The deep-seeded prejudice against dark-skinned peoples, held by many
Asians, is often unvoiced. But one senses early on in Black Rice, that author
K.M. Kaung has a deeper intent. She's blasting away more than false beliefs and superstitions: such as all that's needed to raise a healthy
offspring is healthy blood and environment .
Kaung's
beautifully crafted, fascinating story, told in 42 pages, is a must-read to fully
understand modern Myanmar.
Fractionalized political groups that emerged after independence in 1948 from the British Empire
have been striving for domination. This
well-constructed narrative builds to an ultimate high point twist of luck at
the end that leaves the reader breathless.
This is
an urgently told survival, jungle story, told to the author at age seven, by
her deceased cousin "of the very pale skin," about an illegitimate,
black, slant-eyed, Chinese child,
adopted by upper class Burmese
parents, whose life is not guaranteed by
learning to speak English, backed by an education in Rangoon.
The
reality of human biology is brutal, just like the history of Myanmar. After losing ten fetuses, Pretty Lady gives up trying to have babies of her own.
Only then can she accept and adopt a child with a jet black skin. Her blood was
Rh negative and her husband's was positive.
So the fetuses with the father's blood were rejected by her body with
spontaneous miscarriages. When her tenth
baby dies soon after a live birth, Pretty Lady relieves the pain of her engorged
breasts by nursing an abandoned baby with black skin, whom she names Black
Rice, for good luck. The analogy of the name is not lost. Black rice is so
glutinous, it is used in cement that has held temples together for centuries.
As for
structure, the black rice metaphor works well throughout the telling of civil
war with the Karens. We follow the first person narrative of Black Rice who
escapes his violent, alcoholic stepfather, only to fight in an army struggling
to hold together a divided nation, crumbling apart in internecine warfare. It's
a place where no one can be trusted, far from the romantic jingoism of a
Rudyard Kipling adventure tale. Yet Kaung keeps you gasping up to the last
moment.
What
Kuong succeeds in showing us is the ugly and false belief that light skin is
superior to dark, the divided loyalties between self-preservation and search for identity , and
disillusion with any form of idealism. References to historical characters like Thakin Aung San, who was the politically savvy general and activist who liberated Burma from
Britain, and who was the father of Nobel
Prize Peace Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, help anchor us along the way.
