FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES, Soeharto reigned as the most powerful man in Indonesia – President, father figure and infallible leader to millions. That span of the country’s history has remained largely opaque to the public, with confusion and vagaries obscuring the inner workings of his regime. In Shades of Grey: A Political Memoir of Modern Indonesia 1965-1998, longtime political insider Jusuf Wanandi, who worked closely with the President’s top advisors for decades, sheds light on the indecipherable dark of this period. From the day of the 1965 coup to the invasion of East Timor to Soeharto’s complex relationships with China, the communist party and Islamic activists, Wanandi draws on behind-the-scenes knowledge and lifelong experience to illuminate some of the most dramatic and less understood elements of Indonesian history.

Both history scholars and political novices will learn much from this book, gaining greater comprehension of how Indonesia came to be what it is today, as well as coming to understand one of modern history’s largest political personalities. As the title suggests, nothing in this deeply layered story is black-and-white, no truths absolute in the violent and passionate tale of Indonesia’s journey toward full democracy, but Wanandi offers perhaps the most comprehensive and nuanced explanation to date. Though no history can tell all sides of a story, Shades of Grey – colored by Wanandi’s thoughtful voice, as well as humanizing anecdotes about great figures – paints a rich picture of a fascinating time, a picture that is sure to provoke debate and introspection for years to come.