Thailand Books

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Thailand Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Rice without Rain

Published in Hardcover by HarperCollins (1990-05-28)

Author:

List price: $17.99

New price: $5.75
Used price: $2.90

Average review score:

A glimpse into a rice growing culture

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-18

Everything seems natural until some college students come into the village to convince the people that they are entitled to a better life. This creates alot of conflict between the rice growers and their landowners. Sacrifice and hardship ensue, but the second generation may very well reap some benefit. Monsoons - Rice Growing - Thailand.

Rice with out rain

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-18

This book is something that tells things that can happen to you like where you won't have any food and if you do you have very food. Like homeless people have little food. This book explains about a girl who losses her dad but also falls in love at the same time and he moves to a group and asks her to go but for her it was a very hard decision and we all go through hard decisions but she choose not to go because she wanted to take care of her grandmother. This book is inspiring and it is like real life like the book has come to life and is explaining your life but in a very diffrent way thats why i gave this book five stars and i recemend it to all of you.

Rice Without Rain

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-01

When I first checked out this book at my school library, I didn't mind it that much. But since I had to read books for school and since I wanted to read, I checked this book out. Then after reading the first few pages, I started liking the book, which I couldn't stop reading it, because it was exciting, sad, and 5 thumbs up. This is a very good book and I recommand you to read this book if you want to read some Asian novels.

Simply the BEST

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-04-03

i read this book when I was 12 and after a decade, it is still etched into my mind as one of the best books I have ever read. I am an avid reader and rarely read books twice, but this book is DEFINATELY one to have in the home and to be reread and memorized.

A Lovely Read

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-06

I thought Rice Without Rain was an absolutely spectacular book. A story that has love, war - what else could one want? RWR also brings the conflict in Thailand out into the public eye and has informed thousands about these violent periods in Thailand, of which the general population probably is vaguely aware of.

The main character and our heroine, Jinda, is a very simple, good natured young woman, and warms the hearts of all readers with her innocent naivete. The characters are so real in this novel, that they will stay for you months after. They have with me.

I personally would reccomend this piece to anyone. It has been the foundation of my newfound love for Asian literature.

Sing to the dawn

Published in Unknown Binding by Macmillan/McGraw Hill Pub. Co (1993)

Author: Minfong Ho

List price:

Used price: $0.38

Average review score:

Sing To The Dawn Review!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-01

While reading the novel, "Sing To The Dawn" by Minfong Ho, I felt as if I am a anonymous charactor in the book. My feelings change, as their's change.
Firstly, in Chapter 5 it talked about how Kwai was furious about winning the "Second Place" for the Scholarship. And while Kwai is talking, Dawan was hurt by his words and his jealousy on his face. At that moment I was really sad and mad like Dawan was. I was very desperate to know what would happen next.
Secondly, in the conversation between Kwai, Dawan and their father. As his father was speaking to Kwai about, HE WAS THE ONE WHO SHOULD'VE GO TO THE CITY SCHOOL. I felt very frustrated along with Dawam. Right after Dawan's father said, "But what rights does your sister have? She only a GIRL." I got so mad that I just banged my palm onto the table.
Lastly, in the last chapter (Chapter 13) where it showed the dialoge of Dawan and her Grandmother about Dawan's worries when she's in the city. I felt so depressed. I felt as if I was the one who's leaving

Thailand Village Life in the 1900s

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-18

This book is really interesting.It illustrates life in Thailand then.People live in attap houses and their main source of food is rice.Buffaloes were one of the animals they depended on for farming.Dawan is a girl who is 14 years old,and Kwai,her brother is 13 years old.At that time,there was gender discrimination and boys were more important than girls.Mostly boys were allowed to study.Dawan got to study because Kwai insisted so after he started school shortly.This book is very touching and I think all of you should read it.

A book worth reading

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-21

I have just finished reading the book and felt really touched by the ending. There were three scenes in the story that made me almost cry. First part was when the bother was sitting on the bridge, refusing to send Dawan off on her departure date. When he said 'if u come back, we couldn't ever sit on the bridge and just watch the dawn like we used to anymore. You've changed that, you've gone and changed all that already', I felt I really understood what he meant. He was not complaining to Dawan or trying to not let her go, but he was scared, scared of the loneliness, scared of the distance between his sister and himself. Can you imagine a boy at age of 13 has to face a separation from his sister who used to be his best friend? And no one knows how long this separation is going to last. He was simply unprepared. The second scene I was tremendously touched was the farewell Dawan's grandmother gave to her. Unlike all the other characters in the book, this grandmother has tremendous heroin spirit just like Dawan herself. Grandmother taught Dawan an important lesson - Dawan has to go to the City School because only then she could realise her potential and live her life to the fullest. Just like a lotus bud, with proper sunlight and good wather, 'it'll unfold'. Even when Dawan was unsure whether she should have the 'change', the grandmother assured her 'there is a beautiful pattern to all this change'. Of course Dawan will change. She will have to change to survive in a city world but even then she could still come back to her hometown to be the girl she used to be. Yes, she will never behave the same way, but that is way of life. We are changing and maturing everyday so she has to face the changes. The last part that strike my heart was when Dawan was disppointed that Kwai would not come and send her off. Sunddenly as her bus was running fast to leave the village, she saw Kwai standing on the bridge, streching both arms 'in a gesture meant both to embrace her and to send her off'. He cares for her! The close bond between them was highlighted here which further convey a sense of saddness as the reader knows that these two kids would not see each other for long time.
Minfong Ho has highlighted the problem of gender ineqality in the villages in Southeast Asia. Also, the phonomenon of leaving the village to enter cities is addressed. Indeed, many young people from Southeast Asia came to Singapore to pursue studies is a reality. Although the book never says explicitly which 'city school' it referred to, reader could infer from there. Again, the economic and social development of a country like Singapore is heigntened in the novel. Knowledge from a city country can help people change the backward nature of their hometown; Education in a city country will change many people's life from bad to good. Is it really true? How many people really change the society after accomplishing the education in a big city? Maybe what is changed is their own individual family? But that youthful passion of changing the 'lives of people in their village' was hardly realised or persisted in the end? What a sad truth! Shall we rekindle that passion once again? Or was it a message Minfong Ho was trying to convey? This remains a question to the reader's imagination.

let's see what I think

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-09-03

I am really touched with the story. When I started reading the book, I could recall to my life in the countryside when I was a child, the fresh air, fresh water and smell of the rice in the paddy field. The pictures of the farmers walk after the buffalos and the picture of the children riding the back of buffalos in the morning. On the other hand, the poverty of the farmer's life still exists, growing the rice from the early morning to the sunset among the rain and heavy sun light year after year. The injustice in the society which the middle men and the land owners always take advantage of farmers is still found in the society and it does not disappear eternity. This is a good work for all women. Ho Mingfong is such a fantastic author. She can express the feeling of women who naturally are so called "the back feet of the elephant" though it is quite primitive thought. This book can urge women come out and call for their rights in the society. Dawan who get a scholarship to study in the city has strongly intention to change her life. Her life is not smooth at all since her father does not want her to study further in the city. Kwai, her sister, Kwai, is more appropriate to live in the city. It is just because he is a man. Men dominate women still exist in society. I dare to say that what Dawan's father and brother have done to her is sexual harassment. It is true that parents want their sons to have the good future while their daughters have to stay at home. This is because they think that men will be the leaders of the family in the future. Daughters have to be at home training the housework function, that is all for their lives, indeed. However, she finally succeeds. I do not think that Kwai does not really feel jealous to her. I think that why he has to protect and be at Dawan's side when father scolds at her. He really wants to shows to the manhood. That is because men have to be in the sacrifice role for the superior in natural. By the way, that is the deep relationship of them.

touching book

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-04-13

This book touched my heart and I almost cried after reading it. I recommand young ladies this wonderful book.

Lonely Planet Bangkok

Published in Paperback by Lonely Planet Publications (2001-08)

Author: Joe Cummings

List price: $15.99

Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Helped a lot during my trip to Bangkok

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-17

I took this book everywhere I went. It gives you a great perspective on the things you will find, things to look out for, and a great guide on how to get to the places you want to go.

I went on business to Bangkok, and during the 3 days that I had to go around, this book helped me find those things that mattered most.

I think it is a great read for anyone who is planning to go to amazing Bangkok and it is a must when travelling around in the city. Lonely Planet books are seriously great!

Still perhaps the best basic guidebook....

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-18

As a frequent visitor to Thailand I recently used this latest guide for Bangkok from Joe Cummings (plus his assistants) and found it to be more than adequate. If anything, I would personally like more hotel recommendations for each area of this city, those one could call "a find". I found some on my own by walking the area I stayed in and moved to one of them as Joe was too kind in the description of hotel I first stayed in.

Be sure to call about open times for restaurants as two I went to were closed earlier than was given in the guide (no fault of Joe's I'm sure).

Good, but second best

Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-18

I was fortunate enough to spend a month in Bangkok and bought both the Lonely Planet and the Moon Guides. I generally read both books before I went anywhere, so I can fairly compare them.

The Lonely Planet guide was always worth reading -- it often added something I didn't find in the Moon guide. The highly detailed map in the back of the book was also quite worthwhile. However, if I had to have just one book, it would have been the Moon guide by Carl Parkes.

Carl's explanations always seemed a little bit richer, and a little bit more in touch. His introduction to the Thai language left me much better equipped to try my hand, and his culture and language sections also stood out. The overall impression, true or not, is that Carl has a deeper understanding and familiarlity with the Thais and Bangkok than Joe. But to be fair, I was happy with both books, and happier still that I had brought both with me.

Its too bad that the Moon guide is harder to find than Lonely Planet's .... but I definitely recommend it.

Where would you buy it?

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-13

Amazon.com says this book will be published on March 2005. But try to go to Lonely Planet's online shop, then you can see that it has been published on Sep. 2004. Next, bn.com says it's been publised on March 2004. I don't know which is right. But I'm sure that this book came out already.

I gave 5 stars, however, because I knows LP is a great series at least.

A bit disappointing

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2003-09-11

Compared to LP London and LP Paris I read and have been early this year, I'm a bit disppointed with LP Bangkok. Although it has an amazing section on food/noodles, I'm rather disappointed that the book does not clearly direct and describe to readers how to get to the places/famous spots it suggested!!!! Also the book does not include a map on the Bangkok transit system - making public transit commuting difficult!!!

Muay Thai: A Living Legacy

Published in Paperback by Spry Publishing (2001-09-05)

Author: Junlakan Lesley

List price: $40.00

Used price: $19.10

Average review score:

Great Historical Book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-22

I've been looking for this book for a while and finally found it. It was recommended by Ajarn Chai Sirisute who I had the honor to meet in 2006 along with Guro Dan Inosanto. It's a great book for historical facts and there are techniques (basics/intermediate) that anyoned can learn. I believe this book would be a great addition to anyone's library of the arts. It is a great book with great historical pictures and is an easy read. Plus a bonus poster in the pocket in the back on Wai Khru Ram Muay. . .awesome.

Much respect.

Muay Thai basics

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-12

A very good, high quality book about some of the basic techniques in the muay thai arsenal. 4 or 5 weapons of fist, elbow, leg and knee are adressed and explained. Beginners in the sport of muay thai or thai boxing should seriously consider aquiering this book, as it will definitely help their progress. Extras are a bit of the history of the sport, hand wrapping, traditional wear and combination techniques. Each technique is clearly explained with full color photographs. So you apply what you read.

Awesome

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-10

Great book. It exposes readers to the traditions and important customs when practicing Muay Thai, and includes great training information and techniques.

absolutly satisfied

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-23

You wont go wrong if your searching for an all-round muah thai info book.

Muay Thai: A Living Legacy Vol. 1, 2nd Ed.

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-26

This is a beautiful book; i.e. glossy pages with great pictures. However, Techniques instructions are too basic without depth or details. I guess it a good book for your coffee table or if you're new to Muay Thai. But if you are serious about learning Muay Thai, get "Muay Thai: The Most Distinguished Art of Fighting".

Nancy Chandler's Map of Bangkok

Published in Paperback by Nancy Chandler Graphics Ltd. (2003-06)

Author: Nancy Chandler

List price: $9.95

Average review score:

You'll be lost in the Big Mango without it !

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-14

Nancy makes the madness of this Asian capitol manageable for everyone. Pair her map with a current Lonely Planet Guide and the heart of this wild, pulsating, gilded Kingdom is yours...

Best Map of Bangkok

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-11

This map is great for getting around Bangkok and finding where important landmarks, parks, restaurants, river taxi stops, SkyTrain lines are in this huge city! Better than your average street map because this one gives you landmarks to look for that matter and are identifiable to tourists and expats. Must have for Bangkok, and the one for Chiang Mai is great too.

Never lost in Bangkok

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-07

The book was a little helpful, but the map was great. My husband and I had a great time and never got lost. The best part is the Chatechuk Weekend Market map inset. It was very helpful!!

Wonderful and colorful map!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-13

I am definitely glad we purchased this map of Bangkok before our trip. We used it help plan our itinerary and we used it frequently while in Bangkok. Nancy does a great job of telling local secrets and best options to choose from. It is very well done, up to date, very colorful, and I am 100% satisfied with the map. It is a little different than what I am used to, but it was a nice change. Thank you for the great product.

Essential Item for Bangkok visitors

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-15

The colour and "design" minded approach to this map may require a few minutes learning curve but once you grasp the way the map and booklet work, you will find yourself referring to it constantly.

The map is available in Bangkok at the larger Western hotels as well as in English language book shops, but I would suggest you pick it up prior to your trip to familiarize yourself with this wonderful city.

The Thai Massage Manual: Natural Therapy for Flexibility, Relaxation and Energy Balance

Published in Paperback by Sterling (1998-12-31)

Author: Maria Mercati

List price: $17.95

New price: $19.74
Used price: $7.42

Average review score:

Excellent.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-19

Informative and practical. Everyone should learn Thai Massage. This manual shows you everything you need to know.

Easy transaction; excellent product!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-15

A wonderful addition to my ThaiMassage Library. Appreciate it's availability and good pricing.

massage therapiest

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-08

This book is easy to follow and learn. In the book the pictures with explannation and stap by stap. So I like it verey much!

this is exactly what i wanted

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-07

just like what i said this was what i wanted after watching so manny thai massage video i could get easily lost but with this book i can quickly go back and find confusing technics. you see i'm not really into thai massage however once in a blue moon, clients ask me to do thai massage just to see how it is, in this case this book is very handy.

Excellent resource

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-25

This is a wonderful Thai massage reference book. The pictures are easy to follow, the text is understandable and includes precautions, healing benefits and muscles stretched and pressed for each asana. There are pictures of men and women with sen lines imposed on a skeletal layout - it seems to make it particularly understandable in locating the sen lines on the body. There is a section on muscles - including diagrams and a chart listing the attachments, action and key thai manipulations acting on the muscle, and which lessons address the muscle. For my particular learning style this is a wonderful book and has been very helpful to me. I think that this is an excellent book for beginners and experienced therapists as well.

There is also a chapter of massage routines to ease specific chronic pain and a program for beginners to follow.

Ms. Mercati has solid training in Thai massage as well as Chinese Tui Na Massage and accupuncture. I received my initial training in Traditional Thai Medical Massage from students of Dr. James. It was a wonderful introduction to Thai Massage and as I further my education I know that it provided a solid foundation on which to build.

Forget You Had a Daughter

Published in Kindle Edition by Vision Paperbacks (2007-06-29)

Author: Michael Tierney

List price: $16.99

New price: $8.99

Average review score:

A Heartbreaking and a Painfully Honest Memoir...

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-13

Sandra Gregory takes us deep inside life in a Thailand women's prison and then into the Durham prison of England. Life was terrible for this woman who was arrested for drug trafficking a very small amount of heroin in her vagina. She truly did not deserve such a long and harrowing sentence. She is a hero in my opinion for having survived such an incredibly soul-destroying incarceration. God bless Sandy for writing such a critically-needed memoir. Her book should be on everybody's required reading list, especially high school and college-age kids. They could benefit from Sandy's horrible experience, and might be deterred from doing the same. Thank God she finally got released, but how terrible was her suffering in the mean time! A truly sad but unforgettable read.

Scary, but Believable

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-04-04

I live in Bangkok, less than 10 km from the prison Sandra was held in. I enjoyed reading the book for several reasons. One, as a ex-pat resident of Thailand, I could relate to and even walk past many of the places she described. Second, I'm a sucker for real-life dramas--the gorier, the better. And third, from reading the book,it was a shocking realization that as an ex-pat, one cannot necessarily rely on one's embassy to "take care" of any legal entanglements while in the Kingdom of Thailand (ex-pats living here are generally very spoiled and well-taken-care of). I also felt sorry for Sandra, as there are more heinous crimes than the one she commited every day herethat go unnoticed, unpunished (ie, sex-slavery, child trafficking).
The prose is readable, enjoyable, but not beautiful nor well-crafted, However, anyone travelling to Thailand as a backpacker or as a tourist would be well-served to read this book. Many legal aspects of Thailand seem erratic or lackadasical compared to Western countries, but if you DO get caught doing wrong, the consequences are harsh indeed.

very honest memoir

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-30

Gregory's book details her life from meeting the guy who offered her money to smuggle drugs, to her life in Thai prisons, adapting to the harsh way of life and finally moving back home to a British prison. The development of her character from beginning to end is evident to all through her concise narrative about her guilt and shame, especially when she speaks of her family members. All in all, this is a haunting real-life story that shouldn't be missed by anyone, especially Caucasians travelling for long periods of time in Southeast Asia. The temptation may be great when funds are running low, but the horrors of prisons in the less-developed regions are not exaggerated.

Crossing paths.

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-01-17

Having lived in Thailand for a gratifying 5 years, I am familiar with everything she describes and feels for the country. Thailand is a stunning country known as the "land of smiles" but numerous people don't realize that behind those smiles there is an entire different side to Thailand. That life I like most people have never gone through and do not realize how hideous it is. That is what this book is about, a book filled with fact stating the hideous side of Thailand. I was traumatized by some of the events not realizing that such a beautiful country has such a dark side too it when crossing the path of a good person to breaking the rules. I think it is definitely worthwhile reading, it touches your heart so much because you realize that as we speak about the harsh life in prison there are people out there in those hideous prisons which animals control who think they are gods and the prisoners are slaves. Even though Sandra Gregory made a huge mistake the reason for such was so understandable. Even though she smuggled the drugs I think she is a great and caring person helping others realize that you should think twice before smuggling drugs. This is one of the unsurpassed books I have ever read, it isn't an enjoyable book, where you can laugh, it is depressing and sad but so realistic because you know this is a true story, which a human being has been through. Some of the events disgust you but you continue to read because the book has so much gratitude to it.

A Story of Survival

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-19

This was a rather timely read given the current situation in South East Asia with Sharpelle Corby and the Bali 9. In this book, Gregory tells the story of how she set out from Britain to spend 8 weeks in Thailand, accompanying a friend of a friend she had no previous acquaintance with. Gregory loved Thailand so much that she decided to stay on, until she became seriously ill and distraught over the political situation at the time. Having no money to return to Britain and too stubborn to ask her family for financial support, she 'serendipitously' re-encounters her former travelling companion who offers her one thousand pounds to smuggle a small quantity of heroin for him. Desperately ill and under the impression her acquaintence has 'fixed' things at customs, she agrees. She is, of course, caught.

The story describes her time at Lard Yao, known worldwide as the 'Bangkok Hilton' and the shocking conditions she was forced to endure. Following her transfer to a British prison, Gregory continues her tale, drawing contrasts between the penal systems of the two countries, and finding Britain to be the worse of the two.

Of particular interest were Gregory's encounters with some very notorious offenders such as Rosemary West. She also speaks of the shadow of Myra Hindley in two of the prisons she was incarcerated in. I actually found the second part of the book, where Gregory was in British prisons to be more horrifying than her descriptions of Thai prisons.

Gregory's book is very readable, honest and pulls no punches. However, at the end, you realise that Gregory's book is not so much about her physical survival, but her emotional survival and the evolution of her soul.

Dangerous Wishes

Published in Hardcover by Dutton Juvenile (1995-10-01)

Author: William Sleator

List price: $14.99

New price: $59.06
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Enemies and Friends

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-04

om comes to Thailand and was in a rich house,bad luck happens,but he met a Thai boy called Lek.Lek sells sam-tom, (spicy food) and despises rich people. He was edcuated in a villige and learned to speak English.He had good relationship with his teacher, the teacher gave him a pocket computer when he left for Bangkok.It prooved to grant wishes, even evil ones that gets others hurt. And soon the teacher was killed by some raiding Khmer Rouge soildiers.

Dom had had all the bad luck size=1>

Dangerous Wishes

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-19

I liked the book for the most part but some of the characters were to unrealistic. My favorite part was when yhe boys saved the mad spirit from the pocket computer that she was stuck in.

The worst part of the book was when the khwan, a spirit of a body who is still alive, came out of Gope's body and went after Dom. The khwan of Gope was angry at Dom because Dom knew a secret that no one
was supposed to know.

The most vivid were Dom And lek because the author,William Sleator, told their personalities and discriptions as if he knew them personally. The most vivid conflict was when Dom offended Lek about his culture by accident.

Very Good Book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-18

This was the first book that I'd read by this author. It's very good, very interesting, and factual in most ways. It tells about Thailand and the lifestyle of the people who live there among the story. The story is about a boy named Dom who moves with his parents to Thailand for a while. As soon as they arrive, bad luck descends upon him and his family. Dom befriends a Thai boy named Lek who sells som-tam (a type of spicy food) in the city. The story progresses as pieces to the puzzle of what happened to Dom's sister and her jade necklace when she'd visited before, and what Lek is so mysteriously hiding are revealed. This author's very good and if you like this book, you should try another one of his. This book is part of a sequel, and that should be read as well.

Dangerous Wishes

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-10

Some people would like "Dangerous Wishes", some won't. I'm one of those who would like it. It wasn't to fast or to slow. There was more than one conflict, and very detailed. I think the best part is when they go to Lek's home village,and Glope gets mad at them. When Dom wakes up the next morning, seeing Glope's khwan staring at him, following him everywhere tring to "accidently" get him hurt or even killed. Willaim Sleator did a good job discribing everything, but I would say he did best on the khwan, and Lek. Lek has many problems in life, and Dom just makes them worse. Willaim made the khwan seem so real, and freaky. How its one goal was to hurt or even kill the person its after, wanting revenge. This is just one of the books Willaim Sleator did a great job on.

Dangerous Wishes, fact or fiction

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-05

This is a very interesting book to read. It has alot of information about Thailand. Dangerous Wishes is about a boy named Dom who finds a Thai friend Lek. Lek believe in spirits and superstition. The spirits bring bad luck to the both of them and eventually follow them.

Fighting Strategies of Muay Thai: Secrets of Thailand's Boxing Camps

Published in Paperback by Paladin Press (2002-09)

Authors: Mark Van Schuyver and Pedro Solana Villalobos

List price: $30.00

New price: $18.62
Used price: $20.97

Average review score:

Lousy Insights

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-30

As a professional Muay Thai instructor under Surasute Surachai...I am not impressed....pretty common sense unless you are a Beginner...Study with a certified Muay Thai instructor for insights....this book was bought for a student...after reading the other review Hypes...got nothing out of this book...

This is where you should start

Helpful Votes: 16 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-25

This is a great book. I bought 3 Muay Thai Books and I stopped buying it after I purchased this one. This book is compilation of author's training experience at Thailand and at his gym(Dojo) with his students. If you are a beginner, it gives clear conditioning plan with things to consider and also it gives tips on fighting strategies. However, this book is little light on technical side.

All in all, this is a good book and if you are serious about training and want a book to supplement your training, this is where you should start.

Vilalobos rules

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-12

A must have in the library of any muay thai practitioner. Real advanced topics adressing types of opponents, defensive and offensive manuevers for and against each style fighter, plus workout programs and dietary guidelines. Really well written.

Start with this

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-04

Muay Thai is one of the few external martial arts styles I greatly admire. No-nonsense but deep, it is perfect for self defense or competing. So far this is the best book on Muay Thai I read. I wouldn't say: "Read this book and go bust skulls"- but if you are wondering what's Muay Thai like before you want to start training, and don't want to rely on some hear-say info, this book is for you.

The next best thing to learning it in a Thailand camp

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-07

Villalobos (The true contributor of this book) is the REAl DEAL, who show us the true picture of what are being taught in Thailand's camps. Not a step-by-step guide for beginners, but any intermediate to advanced martial artists would surly benefit from this book.

The Gospel of Father Joe: Revolutions and Revelations in the Slums of Bangkok

Published in Kindle Edition by Jossey-Bass (2008-03-28)

Author: Greg Barrett

List price: $25.95

New price: $17.05

Average review score:

More fundraising fiction

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-30

I was so deeply moved by the stories in Father Joe's "Welcome to the Bangkok Slaughterhouse" that I visited the Mercy Centre in Klong Toey. The characters from the stories were not to be found; however, I was introduced to one whom they said was mentioned in a story. When my Thai interpreter asked her questions about her story, she got them all wrong. I understand the concept of face in Asia, but the barrage of lies from staff was repulsive. I waited in the lobby for almost an hour as they coached the little girl. She should have gotten at least one or two of the questions correct, don't you think? And they knew exactly whom I wanted to see. This is a Christian organization? No wonder the Catholic church sent Father Joe packing from the US 30 years with his renegade ideas. Even the Catholic Church wanted to avoid possible embarrassment in the US. Has the writer of this book even visited the centre? Is he taken in by the thought of continuing the fairy tale without investigating what really happens here?

A couple cases in point:

1. Klong Toey might be a slum, but there is money there. The Mercy Centre is not a run down, rag tag edifice. It is modern with air conditioning, lighting, and has a full-service media center with many computers, high speed internet access, and up to date equipment. Coca Cola Foundation donated it.

2. Most Thai I talk to tell me that affluent Thai donate to this organization because they want to "look good." And the center takes all the money. And it's all about the money. The girl I had donated to was supposed to send pictures, drawings, emails. They said it's good for the kids to know they are wanted, but when I went to visit, they said, "She go to her province," "She go out with friends," or "She go to temple." And I made clear the name, the story...everything about her. I even showed a copy of the story from the website. And the representatives spoke fluent English. "Come back tomorrow," the representative told me on several different occasions, but the girl was never around. Did she exist? Was she real? I'll never know.

3. The Mercy Centre will not adopt the children to families outside Thailand--not even the ones who are terminally ill. (They say 400 in all.) I know many, many affluent, good families in the US who would take a child in just to make him/her happy in his/her final days--while hoping God will extend his/her life. My friend lead a campaign in Romania a few years ago that rescued children who were crippled, terminally ill, and hopeful to get out of orphanages where they were seriously mistreated. My allegations regarding the Mercy Centre are not the same--I saw no mistreatment there (though they did coach the girl to lie to me and take my hand as I left the centre.) So why, I ask myself, will the center not allow adoptions? Simple answer: Their funding would dry up. It's not the government--Thai or US getting in the way. The Romanian government was very difficult to deal with. The problem is the money. Yes, money is god in Thailand. And the centre worships baal just like the rest. Who would donate to an empty center? They don't want what's best for the kids? It's all about the money. Disgusting.

And this book is a pretty fiction whose goal is simply to raise money.

Go there...ask questions...look around...if you can avoid the lure of the siren song, your story will be the same as mine.

Here come all the spammers to contradict me.

Addendum: We all know people in our circle of acquaintance who need help and support. Give to them and feel good about yourself.

outstanding

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-12

An inspirational story of a man who saw injustice and does what he can to fix it. What makes his story fascinating is just how hard it was to do some good. Not impossible, mind you, but hard enough to keep most people from trying. His philosophy also strikes me as uniquely American. They need a school. Let's build one. Where do we start? Highly recommended.

An Incredible and Uplifting Life Story

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-11

"The Gospel of Father Joe" was recommended to me by someone who personally knows the subject. After reading the book, I'm amazed at what Father Joe has accomplished in spite of all the institutional and societal opposition he faced.

Father Joe Maier doesn't suffer fools. Neither does he hesitate to offer them-and any others in need- compassion and mercy. This is an incredible story of a bright, passionate man who was driven to help others in dire need. But Father Joe's story isn't a Hollywood riches-to-rags-to riches tale. How this prickly, somewhat eccentric priest has dedicated his life to the people of Bangkok's Klong Toey slum is the heart of the story, of course; but while telling this story the author and Father Joe develop a prescription for ending the cycles of poverty and abuse that have made havens such as Maier's Mercy Centre so desperately needed.

Although these days the liberation theology movement- along with many of its followers- seems to have become mired in politics and bickering, Father Joe provides evidence that the Christian mission to help others in need endures. While he can be moved to tears of anger, Father Joe's response to heartwrenching poverty and neglect is to offer hope rather than admonishments. Through the Mercy Centre he offers those he lives and works with an opportunity each day to move out of poverty, a chance to leave the slums and return with answers. Even those who would seem to have no reason to hope- the abandoned children who populate the Mercy Centre's AIDS hospice- are given a path to make their tragically shortened lives an expression of grace.

As author Greg Barrett plumbs deeper into Mercy Center and Father Joe's "gospel" of hope, he is forced to examine his own spirituality. This unblinking look at his own life and beliefs- and how they contrast and interact with those of the people of Klong Toey- serves to draw the reader into making his own personal examination. But these introspective moments enhance the story rather than diverting it, and the reader becomes aware of how Barrett's experience at Mercy Centre was one of challenge and inspiration.

The book avoids maudlin sentimentality; Barrett dryly details the facts of poverty and the horrors of the Bangkok sex trade, while Father Joe unflinchingly predicts the terminal prognosis for many of the AIDS patients at Mercy Centre. However, moments of beauty help the reader find Father Joe's appreciation of revealed grace: A young girl dying of AIDS seems to float on a balcony, enjoying a gentle cooling rain. An absent, disgraced father begs for- and is granted- compassion and care. Barrett quietly and subtly develops a picture of the lives and families struggling to endure and overcome the reality of the Bangkok slums.

As Barrett relates, Father Joe recognizes that he and the Mercy Centre are "bandaging wounds", not yet actually curing the ills of the slums. But he offers hope, which is part of his prescription. And Father Joe and Mercy Centre offer tools for the people of Klong Toey to use in effecting the cure. "If you don't have anything to eat in the morning...if you don't have any shoes...GO TO SCHOOL!", he constantly exhorts the children and families at Mercy. And with Father Joe's help, they do. Greg Barrett has written a moving and powerful account of how Father Joe has undertaken his mission, and compellingly describes how much remains to be done. "The Gospel of Father Joe" is a book that will motivate the reader to "take a second look" at those around him, and to find ways to help others help themselves. Read this book.

An incredible story....uplifting and motivational.

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-25

If you think the world is a troubled place, then look here for the answer. What Father Joe has accomplished is truly fantastic. If they made a movie about his life before this book, no one would believe it. The author brings it to you without sugar-coating the horrors of the sex trade industry, and yet, it never feels heavy. Greg Barrett's tone throughout the book is that of hope and not despair using dry humor with deft touch and an insight we otherwise would not have seen. It is an entertaining, inspirational and easy to read effort by the author. I have just finished it and will probably read it again. Thanks to the author and Father Joe!

A truthful and moving description of life in the Bangkok slums

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-30

As a Retired Fire Captain, I can be quite skeptical. I spent my life working among men and women who many people would consider "heroes," but I never met anyone who deserves the title of hero more than Father Joe. Four years ago, my wife and I were accepted as volunteers at the Mercy Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. Each year since, we have returned and stayed for months at a time. During those months, we have come to know Father Joe, his staff, and the children at Mercy. The Gospel of Father Joe is an accurate portrayal of the man and the organization. Father Joe is a man who started with nothing and built The Mercy Centre, which now has 30+ preschools, an AIDS hospice, as well as homes for 150+ children. In addition, he and his staff somehow manage to feed and educate thousands of more children in the outlying slums each day. My wife and I are honored to serve there. I highly recommend both the book by Greg Barrett, which tells the story so vividly, and the Mercy Centre~that is hope to so many. Michael