Product Description

This is the story of James Mawdsley, a 27-year-old man from Lancashire who returned home to Britain in 2000 having endured 18 months of solitary confinement, torture and beatings in a Burmese prison. Sentenced to 17 years' imprisonment for his protests against the brutal military regime of the junta, this was not Mawdsley's first time of capture but his third trip to Burma, in what was a well-thought-out, determined exercise in his campaign to publicize human rights violation in a country terrorized by an illegal regime. Mawdsley describes how he came to leave university, and the promise of academic success, to pursue instead something more purposeful, charting with sensitivity, intelligence and humour, the experiences that lead him to Burma. He goes on to describe his fellow prisoners and his torturers with irony and a kind of sympathetic tenderness. He rejects any claim to heroism and instead reflects on his motives, his ability to survive such terror and isolation - how he discovered a kind of spiritual solace and peace despite his terrifying situation - and what now lies ahead, both for himself, with his new freedom, and for the people of Burma.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #565205 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Heart Must Break, James Mawdsley's keen account of his campaigning and imprisonment in Burma, bears out with grim conviction the adage that if you play with fire you are likely to get burnt. Combining aspects of Winston Smith from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (Orwell, incidentally, was a policeman in Burma) with 1970s TV sitcom anti-hero Citizen Smith, Mawdsley was arrested on three separate visits for distributing cassettes and leaflets in Rangoon protesting human rights abuse and political oppression. The first occasion was, by his own admission, inept, and he was quickly booted out. With the second protest, after which he was sentenced to five years in prison, things became more brutal, as he was tortured by Military Intelligence. Undaunted, his third arrest in August 1999, only three months after being released, brought international headlines and a 17-year sentence. The findings of a UN Working Group, on top of an international campaign of pressure by his patiently supportive family finally precipitated his release after 14 months in prison.

As well as detailing his experiences, The Heart Must Break also provides a platform for Mawdsley's arguments, if any reader needs convincing. There are hints of a darker side to the author--his attempted suicide after dropping out of university, for example--but he describes his story in unadorned prose, concerned more with the notes than the tune. Rather than the malapropos humour and earnest tub-thumping, the most convincing passages describe his trekking through the villages of Thailand and Burma. God, he believes, helped him through his ordeals, and while this repeated assertion can wear thin for the less devout reader, the hardships he faced helped forge his identity as a modern missionary whose compassionate idealism and bravery are undeniable. --I>David Vincent

Customer Reviews

A truly amazing book!
Who would have thought that the Burmese Junta could be rattled by an English Lad, his soup packet juggling balls and a stubborn determination in standing up for what is right?

Mawdsley writes superbly. I read this book in a day... I am not a fast reader... I just couldn't put it down. The accounts of his experiences made me laugh out loud, they made me cry, they educated me and most importantly, they made me think.

We should all count our blessings that people like Mawdsley care enough about others to join forces with the Burmese to make a stand against the Junta. He brought the decades of oppression to the International spotlight - and for that - I am sure the Burmese will be eternally grateful.

I hope James has sent a copy of this book to the governors and guards of Insein and Kengtung prison.

You must read this book....
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll ask how can this happen, you'll learn - yes, above you'll learn of the suffering that the Burmese people have endured with courage and dignity under the Military Dictatorship and how it is possible for each of us to make a difference.
Mawdsley writes with passion, first hand knowledge and a moving wit. Read this book.

Powerful, inspiring and intelligently written
I met James in Warwickshire at a conference. He signed a book for me: "Your right about beginning on the inside... with best wishes, James Mawdsley". He was a gripping, highly likeable and intelligent speaker. I wish I could meet him again.

A beautiful statement of confidence and faith in God and the power of one. It is sure to inspire all who read it. James is a free-spirit, in many ways a child whos faith, vision and idealism will not be crushed by cynicism, the passing of time and bitter indignation. He is a defender freedom and democracy and faith. 'The Heart Must Break' articulates his story and the story of Burma's fight for democray.