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Title: Interesting moments but makes a few ridiculous leaps
Review: In general, a good book--parts of it were absolutely gripping. However, i think the author tries to take advantage of 9/11 and terrorism in Indonesia to sell copy and it's both tacky and unwarranted. It's one thing to suggest that Dutch imperialism and its cruel nature left the door open for islamic radicals to take hold of the population; however, I think it's way over the top to suggest that Krakatoa's eruption did it. It seems relatively safe to say that seeds were sown well before krakatoa and it was a question of time before the Dutch were booted out as other colonial powers were globally. It was not as if krakatoa went boom and islamic radicals kicked out the Dutch a few months later. Overall, it could have been a good book, but I think the tacky exploitation of terrorism earns it one star and the author, my enmity.
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