Publisher's Synopsis
Black Hole with a Heart of Gold is a metaphor that operates on several levels: Burma is a country that has been hermetically sealed to the outside world for many decades, as if it were a black hole on the map. But despite the many years of political and economic turmoil, the Burmese people seem to have found the antidote to the suffering caused by fear, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, in other words, the Black Hole of the human condition. Black Hole with a Heart of Gold will take you on a magic carpet through the mystical, enigmatic, and vibrant land of Myanmar, and you will encounter along the way magnificent pagodas, lakes, river, legends, the largest book in the world, and caves filled with golden Buddhas. You will meet a spirit medium called a Nat Kadaw, and also will discover one of the major players in the world's heroin traffic; and how a general used a widespread belief in astrology to deceive his citizens and bankrupt the entire nation overnight; and all of these wonders will be revealed to you through a series of delightful personalities who radiate their Hearts of Gold.
