Thailand Books

This book is awesome! There are over 5500 items from the nineteenth century up to the 1960's reproduced in full color--receipts, cigarettes, comic books, lottery tickets, package labels, newspapers, letterheads, postcards, etc. If you're a fan of Thai culture, this is a must. Has to be seen to be believed.

This is not the Christopher Moore that Amazon thinks it is. This is Christopher G Moore the Farang in Thailand's guide to bars clubs strip bars massage parlors bar girls and hoors. I have read some of his other books and they are quite good especially if you like that kinda thing.

Chiang Mai, tucked away in the hills of Northern Thailand in a region known as the "Golden Triangle," has long held a fascination for the traveler in Asia. Recent prosperity has brought modernization, But Chiang Mai still retains an old-style charm, hard to define in words. As the original seat of Thai culture, it is arguably the best place to understand Thai traditions and society. With the happy, relaxed countenance of its graceful people and magnificent, surrounding hill country, Chaing Mai leaves the vistor with a lasting memory of a truly magical place.

The many features of this book include:
* What to do and see
* Maps of principal sights and places of interest
* Brilliant color photography
* Historical, religious and geographical background information
* Trekking details
* Hotel and travel information
* Restaurants with addresses and phone numbers
* Food specialties and menus
* Recommended reading and complete index of places
--- from book's back cover

This book provides a comprehensive overview of child prostitution in Thailand. The author is a cultural informant with Western-trained counseling skills, a former international development worker in Thailand, and a theologian. He translates a complex issue in a way that enlightens and moves readers to examine the basis for meaning in their own lives and gives dignity to voices we could not otherwise hear.
The book will be of interest to those in social work, political science, sociology, law, international development, economics, cross-cultural psychology, and theology. The author shows how the cycle of poverty started in 1967 with a strategic plan for, ironically, national development that shifted the focus of national policy from agriculture to industrialization. This started a cycle of loans in which "cash became more important than crops" (p. 36). As cash became the standard for national progress it also became the standard for morality and meaning. All of chapter 8 but especially pages 104-108 are a must read for anyone interested in how the social behavioral sciences and international development relate to philosophy and theology. It is a brilliant integration of all the chapters with the voices of those interviewed. Sorajjakool skillfully shows how "the good life" has been socially constructed by consumer and materialistic forces that enable the sex industry even as it depletes the humanity of those who are seduced by it. In Thailand symbols of status and wealth are presumed to be evidence of "the good life.
Behavioral scientists, theologians and especially cross-cultural psychologists will be interested in how indigenous constructs like fah likit or destiny and tien ming or "Heaven determines" intertwine with Buddhism to create a learned helplessness among prostitutes. The "seed of greed lies within," he notes in a discussion of Buddhism and the role of "tanha" (desire) to suffering (p. 101). He then shows how the solution to ultimate meaning can be seen in Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian theology and why materialism has failed with such tragic consequences. He writes "through this whole process of listening [to many Rahabs] we may discover ourselves through images of their dreams and stories of their lives...we are all victims. Not just them. I started researching about how they felt only to know more about how I feel. I questioned their motives only to learn that mine are questionable as well." (p.2). The sex industry is a symptom of the problem of "wants that have been intensified through social construction." (p. 106)
Child prostitution in Thailand used to be driven by poverty, the political and economic disenfranchisement particularly of northern tribal groups, and the buying power of a demand for child prostitutes that peaked in 1990. But the economic crisis in Southeast Asia and the 1996 Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act created a new group of sex workers. They are 18 to 22 year-old high school and college-aged women who voluntarily engage in prostitution to support their lifestyle, their families or themselves through school, or simply to pursue their dreams. These dreams are socially constructed by consumerism and materialism. A young woman with a bachelor's degree explained, "I work and I send money home." Her dream was "to open a small dress boutique" but with HIV/AIDS now rampant, "Their dreams have become their worst nightmare." Furthermore, "Their poverty now is not about what they do not have but about who they are." (p. 68).
Interviews with subjects found the usual reasons for prostitution: childhood neglect, sexual abuse, and substance abuse by caregivers or the prostitute. "I did not want to stay home. I wanted to get out of my house as soon as possible" said one girl who left her home and abusive, drinking mother (p. 46). There were also unusual reasons such as the indigenous concept of "old cows chewing on young grass" to describe the old Chinese men who have sex to gain health, longevity and sexual prowess.
Because the 1996 legislation sees prostitutes as victims of poverty and organized crime, it punishes procurers, brothel owners, mama sans, pimps, customers, and parents who sell their children. The younger the prostitute, or if violence is involved, the heavier the punishment. Changes in international laws such as the strengthening of U.S. laws have sent pedophiles to Costa Rica and abroad to gain ready access to child prostitutes. The Appendix summarizes worldwide incidence and the nature of child prostitution. Clients in Thailand include pedophiles from around the world, Thai men, and old Chinese men. Even though prostitution is legal in Germany, it is the largest European buyer market for the sex industry in Thailand. Regardless of who they are, the author observes with the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Thailand, they often are "men who paid for sex and got more than what they paid for" (p. 67).
The book cites the literature, facts, figures, and statistics about the multiple forms of the sex industry and child prostitution, noting its urban distribution. The reader is haunted by stories of 19-year-old Wan, a prostitute who died of AIDS, as well as mothers, housewives and orphans who are infected with HIV/AIDS. The psychological impact on children is poignantly recounted in one story after another. Fourteen-year-old Nuan obsessed over the "betrayal by her dad and her sister, the two family members who gained from her pain, the two family members who could quantify commodities and compete with neighbors through her body." (p. 11). After a nervous breakdown and hospitalization, "as she started to heal her dad came and persuaded her through words and sexual molestation to return to the go-go bar. Sorajjakool comments "Instead of seeing therapists, they have to smile, freshen up, entertain clients and bear the sense of filth within their souls." (p. 14) Depression manifests itself in isolation, drug abuse, promiscuity, loss of self-esteem, and extreme preoccupation with body image, he notes.
Sorajjakools's training and skill as a counselor is evident. He is not an impartial observer. He seeks meaning by relating in to public policy, indigenous concepts, Buddhism, and theology all the while being true to the stories he passes on to us. "One becomes a person when one's stories and feelings are acknowledged....their lives matter when they are heard" (p.4). Readers will both hear and be convicted that these lives matter very much.

this is a great book detailing the fascinating ritualistic Vegetarian festival of southern Thailand. Cohen spent 5 years researching and attending the festival that has taken place every october for roughly the last 115 years and lasts for nine days. the writing is very academic and the information will be useless to anyone with no interest in or knowledge of the festival/ceremony/ritual that consists of spirit possession, body piercing, fire walking, and other various forms of public self mutilation
(for lack of a better term). this book is a must read for anyone planning on attending the festival as the practices will be quite bewildering without Cohen's explanation and is the only book i know of that details this ritual.
i have seen this book for sale on amazon in excess of $100.00. this is totally uncalled for as it can be ordered from the publisher (white lotus press) for about $25.00 and bought in most good bookstores in Thailand for $15-$20.

This was my 8th Thai cookbook, when I thought it unlikely there was much else for me to learn.

Little did I know! The book is laid out beautifully, with (mostly) one recipe to a page. There are no photographs, but the gorgeous illustrations by Helen Semmler more than make up for them. Each recipe is preceded with a short, instructive commentary.

The recipes themselves ... if you are the type of person who, when in a new restaurant, will look for a dish you are not familiar with and smile broadly when told: "Oh, you wouldn't like that," then you MUST track down a copy of this book. There are more unusual and unique dishes, and new tastes, in this slim volume than in all the rest of my Thai cookbooks together.

This is my textbook when I teach Thai cuisine. I used to feel like an impostor when Thai natives would sometimes take my class - not any more! I just lead off with "Nam Prik Kai Kem" (relish of salty duck eggs with fresh vegetables - it might take you several years to acquire a taste for it) to establish my credentials.

Especially interesting are the primitive dishes, like Gaeng Som Pla Tua Fak Yaew (sour orange curry with snake beans), that date from before chilies were introduced to Thailand by the Portuguese. It is fascinating to make some of the historical dishes completely authentically -- without chilies and using only pepper for heat.

One particular Royal Thai appetizer, Saeng Wa Gung Pao, aptly described by Mr. Thompson as: "the quintessence of good Thai food," is the single finest dish I have ever made - well worth the trouble of tracking down the ingredients. Royal Thai cuisine is not yet well known in America, which is a crying shame. One Royal Thai recipe that I haven't yet tried, Kao Chae (perfumed rice with garnishes) lists 61 ingredients!

Mr. Thompson's more familiar dishes, like the Red, Green, and Mussaman curries, are also several cuts above the norm. No canned curry pastes here! However, that brings up another thought: this is not an everyday cookbook for production-line family meals. For all the accolades I'm heaping on it, I find I use the book infrequently. When I NEED to make a meal, I usually turn to canned pastes and something like Charmaine Solomon's book. When I choose to take an entire day to play in my kitchen, I reach for my mortar and pestle, and this book.

A final note: Amazon has this David Thompson mixed up with the prolific writer of Westerns, so the link on this page to "an interview with David Thompson," if followed, will not teach you anything about Thai cuisine.

Lushly illustrated, simple, but engagingly written picture book. I used it with elementary aged children to teach contentment. Its a great book to use for interdisciplinary work...geography, music, social studies...its all there

This author is easy to understand and leaves you wanting to learn more. I like it when authors lead you to want to learn more. Because, I belive that learning is great - and you should learn something everyday. This author is direct and very truthful - he lays out what he belives straight forward.

I would consider this book if you are interested in Karma or anything that deals with the budhist religion in itself.

The Buddha asserts effort and motivation as the crucial factors in deciding the ethical value of these various teachings on kamma.(P.A. Payutto).

This book affords a rare opportunity to see the hinterland of Siam (Thailand) through the eyes of the notable 19th century British diplomat, Sir Ernest Satow (1843-1929). The editor, Nigel Brailey, has provided a useful introduction and the original line-drawings are also preserved. The original material (manuscript) for this book is held at the UK National Archives in Kew (PRO 30/33 20/1).

Ian Ruxton, editor of The Diaries of Sir Ernest Satow, British Envoy in Peking (1900-06), Vol. 1 of two and The Semi-Official Letters of British Envoy Sir Ernest Satow from Japan and China (1895-1906).

The Archaeology of Mainland Southeast Asia: From 10,000 B.C. to the Fall of Angkor (Cambridge World Archaeology)
All the books of this author are of great quality as well with regard to the written information as with regard to the photographical aspect. This and the fact I am particularly interested by the archaeology and architecture of Myanmar were the reasons I bought this book.
In fact it is a complete study of the archaeological findings in Myanmar containing clear descriptions and quality photographs.
After reading this book I am convinced to return to Myanmar to visit some sites (for example Sriksetra) more profoundly so as to understand better the archaeological richness of this part of the world.