Last Updated on: 4th February 2025, 04:52 pm
Published on the Coup’s Fourth Anniversary, Red Moons and Silent Truths Highlights an Overlooked Crisis
Lydia Goldman’s memoir, Red Moons and Silent Truths, offers a personal account of the turbulent early days of Myanmar’s 2021 military coup. Released on the fourth anniversary of the coup, the book brings attention to a humanitarian crisis that has received little global recognition.
Goldman moved to Yangon in 2020, anticipating a new chapter as an international schoolteacher and a volunteer for a local charity. However, her experience took an unexpected turn when, on 1st February 2021, the military took control, shutting down power and internet access, and throwing the nation into upheaval.
Exploring themes of mental health, political instability, and cultural adaptation, Goldman’s memoir provides an intimate perspective on one of Myanmar’s most challenging periods in recent history.
“The situation in Myanmar remains critical,” says Goldman. “By releasing this book, I wanted to give a voice to unheard stories of Burmese civilians. Releasing the book on this significant date is my way of honouring the resilience of those who continue to strive for peace and democracy.”
The book’s release is particularly timely. According to UN statistics, more than 3.5 million people in Myanmar are internally displaced, while 18 million are in need of humanitarian aid. Despite Myanmar being ranked as the world’s second most severe conflict in December 2024—behind only Palestine and ahead of Syria and Ukraine—the crisis remains largely ignored on the international stage.
“The world barely knows Myanmar as a country, and it’s so hard to see,” says Meredith Bunn, Founder of Skills for Humanity, a nonprofit organisation providing aid and support in Myanmar. “Things are really difficult right now. As foreigners, it’s hard to feel like it’s our place to speak out for the country, but it’s impossible to get the world to listen otherwise.”
Red Moons and Silent Truths is available for pre-order now and will be released in bookshops across the country and via online retailers from 18th March 2025. Pre-orders can be placed at https://sleepylionpublishing.com/product/red-moons-and-silent-truths/
