A whole lifetime isn’t sufficient to get a full grasp of the vast archipelago that is Indonesia — home to over 270 million people. It’s a country of incalculable diversity, with deep historic roots and idiosyncrasies befitting of the fourth most populous nation in the world
So how does one even begin to comprehend Indonesia? The answer may just lie in written accounts of the country covering its rich — and, at times, violent — history, as well as those that try to make sense of the present and look ahead to the future.
If you are an Indonesian who wants to truly bleed red and white, or an outsider who is curious about this wondrous nation, below are 7 essential non-fiction books in the English language that will send you on a path to Indo-lightenment.
A History of Modern Indonesia — Adrian Vickers, 2005
Adrian Vickers is a professor of Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Sydney. His 2005 book, A History of Modern Indonesia, serves as the perfect crash course on contemporary Indonesia, covering pre-1945 Dutch colonial rule, anti-communist massacres, Soeharto’s New Order rule and its fall.
Soeharto: My thoughts, Words, and Deeds: An Autobiography — G. Dwipayana, Ramadhan K.H., 1989
Soeharto had the country in his dictatorial grip for 32 years. While few look back on his reign with fondness, his autobiography, which has been translated into English, offers intimate and deeply personal insight into Indonesia’s longest-serving president at the height of his powers — long before his New Order era ended with democratic reforms in 1998.
The Jakarta Method: Washington’s Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World — Vincent Bevins, 2020
Soeharto played a key role in eliminating the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), then the largest communist party outside of China. In The Jakarta Method, journalist Vincent Bevins combed through declassified documents and eyewitness testimonies to establish how the US government quietly helped the Indonesian military kill some one million civilians during the anti-communist massacre in 1965.
Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia — Ben Bland, 2020
One may argue that President Joko Widodo, a political elite outsider with a man of the people reputation, is the manifestation of Indonesian democratic ideals. Former journalist Ben Bland argues in his engaging book that there is more than meets the eye with Jokowi — a man, much like the country he leads, who is caught between and is navigating great opposing forces in the quest for progress.
Julia’s Jihad: Tales of the Politically, Sexually, and Religiously Incorrect: Living in the Chaos of the Biggest Muslim Democracy — Julia Suryakusuma, 2013
Julia’s Jihad is a collection of essays by columnist Julia Suryakusuma published over the span of eight years in The Jakarta Post and Tempo’s English edition. The book tackles serious feminist, religious, and human rights issues in a delightfully digestible fashion thanks to the author’s wonderful wit.
Indonesia, Etc: Exploring the Improbable Nation — Elizabeth Pisani, 2014
This one is for the Java-centric among us who wish to learn more about the diversity of this vast nation. Journalist Elizabeth Pisani takes us on a 26,000-mile journey across the country on roads less traveled than your run-of-the-mill travel book. In Indonesia, Etc, Pisani masterfully weaves in historical and sociopolitical contexts in search of links that bind a disparate nation.
Indonesian Slang: Colloquial Indonesian at Work — Christopher Torchia, Lely Djuhari, 2011
Language — and certainly, slang — will never stop evolving, but Indonesian Slang from 2011 is still a great launching pad to familiarize oneself with informal Indonesian expressions and why we are so obsessed with random acronyms and portmanteaus. They say language is a window into a country’s identity and culture, after all.
