This is a new feature in the "Archives" forum.



What do you guys think? Are there any books you'd like to suggest?



Has anyone read any of these books?



Any reveiws (positive or negative) are most welcome.



Thanks!

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Elephantspike Home Page

Dear Uncle Go:  Male Homosexuality  in Thailand = Sawatdi Khrap 'a Ko Paknam by Peter A. Jackson A landmark study of male homoeroticism in Southeast Asia. "Uncle Go Pak-nam" has been Thailand's advice columnist for gay men in a major national magazine since 1974. Letters to him come from the confused, lovelorn, naive, worldly and lonely. Their sexually explicit stores are often moving, sometimes shocking, sometimes delightful, but always fascinating and deeply human. Uncle Go's advice to them is wild, witty, and wise. The Men of Thailand : (6th Edition): Thailand's Culture  & Gay Subculture  by E. G. Allyn, Samorn Chaiyana This is the most praised guidebook for gay men ever published. Reviewers and users have praised its cultural sensitivity, its frankness, and insight. Includes an extensive discussion of Thailand's culture and its gay subculture, practical etiquette, plus resources and listings for 15 Thai cities. Each listing is in Thai script you can use to point-and-show to get around. Also includes maps for major locations with a gay scene. Considered essential for any gay visitor to the Land of Smiles. Queer : Facts About Gays and Lesbians by Saksit Pakdeesiam About the Author Saksit Pakdeesiam is a sociologist, writer and translator who has done extensive research on gay life in Thailand and overseas. He now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA. His first book (written in the Thai language) is QUEER - Facts About Gays and Lesbians. His second book is "Thai for Gay Tourists" - a language guide for gays and lesbians visiting Thailand. Book Description This book is written in Thai. It has information and stories about the lives of gays and lesbians both oveseas and in Thailand. The book is semi-academic. Good for gay people and anyone who wants to know about gays and lesbians (friends and families, etc.). A GREAT gift for your Thai gay friends. The Dove Coos II:  Gay Experiences by the Men of Thailand by E. G. Allyn, E.G.Allyn, David Jonathan These thirty-seven stories, written by gay men in Thailand about their gay experiences, were translated from major Thai gay magazines. This book also includes an introduction to gay Thailand by the editor of MIDWAY magazine, one of Thailand's top gay publications. Lady Boys, Tom Boys,  Rent Boys: Male and  Female Homosexualities  in Contemporary Thailand Peter A. Jackson (Editor), Gerard Sullivan (Editor) Lady Boys, Tom Boys, Rent Boys: Male and Female Homosexualities in Contemporary Thailand offers methods that will help social workers, researchers, and students create HIV/AIDS intervention services for gay men, lesbians, and transgender individuals in or from Thailand.   Many of these methods can also be used by practitioners or HIV/AIDS educators in North America and developing countries to address issues of culturally diverse clientele. In response to Western and Thai sexuality studies that fail to accurately represent the diverse sexualities of Thailand, this book discusses and describes certain factors that need to be taken into consideration when developing intervention programs.  Demonstrating how cultural and social factors influence services, Lady Boys, Tom Boys, Rent Boys will help you provide clients with effective and relevant services. Drawing attention to Eurocentric ideology that may hinder cross-cultural collaboration for Thai-Western service provisions, this book offers you information that will help you understand how cultural, political, and economic systems shape sexuality and gender roles in Thai society. Gold by the Inch by Lawrence Chua Called "striking" by The New York Times Book Review, Gold by the Inch is the story of a young New Yorker of Asian descent who has returned to the country of his birth following a disastrous relationship and his father's death. In a Bangkok drunk on the nation's financial miracle - and high on an assortment of other things - the narrator meets Thong, a young, beautiful male hustler who works at a nightclub. As his romantic obsession with Thong grows, the narrator tries to convince himself that it transcends its commercial nature, but he is quickly forced into a hard look at the connections between desire and exploitation, personal and national identity. Lawrence Chua vividly combines Southeast Asia's troubled history with evocations of its modern face - its polyglot culture, its colonial past, the cool futurism of its skyscrapers and its sex industry. Written in hard-bitten, dazzling prose, Gold by the Inch is a stunning debut.

 

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Elephantspike Home Page

Edited by: elephantspike2 at: 8/29/04 6:41 pm

Very sadly, The Men of Thailand is out of print with no plans to re-print "due to Govenment attitudes" which I though rather weak. However you can get a glimpse of the full book online at:

www.floatinglotus.com/tmot/tmotonline.html



Floating lotus have several gay books about Thailand in print and a friendly website.

www.floatinglotus.com



Of the other books suggested I can heartily recommend The Dove Coos II ( and The Dove Coos I was good to but out of print) The Uncle Go book is good and there are a lot of his, wonderful agony aunt type, letters on the floating lotus website.



Male Homosexuality by Peter A Jackson I would give a miss. It is very dry and analytical but based on very fragile basis of small numbers interviews and then the results analysed as if the truth. He admits that they found Thai men have a habit of telling them the answer which is what they think those asking wants to hear. However I found "The Intrinsic quality of skin" by the same author a fascinating read. Being small and dark skinned he could pass as a Thai and it was interesting to find out how many straight Thai men like to dabble on the other side of the fence.

Edited by: wowpow at: 9/6/04 1:16 pm

Quote:

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Very sadly, The Men of Thailand is out of print with no plans to re-print "due to Govenment attitudes"

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The above link refers to existing copies that are currently for sale on Amazon:



Used Version of  "TMOT Volume VI"

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Elephantspike Home Page

Edited by: elephantspike2 at: 9/6/04 1:46 pm

"The Men of Thailand, 7th Edition

by E.G. Allyn, Samorn Chaiyana

Publishers: let customers

search inside this book

Availability: THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.





Mass Market Paperback: 524 pages

Publisher: Floating Lotus USA; (May 1, 1999)

ISBN: 0942777301



Editorial Reviews

BAngkok Metro Magazine

The Men of Thailand "has drawn much Thai praise for its candour and perception. Allyn's wise words on Thai public and private manners, plus masses of general information, might enlighten non-gay readers, too. "Eric Allyn's candid prose is among the most enlightened writing about modern Thai society."



SOMBOON INPRADITH, Executive Editor, Midway Magazine Thailand

"The Men of Thailand begins with respect for Thai people and society. I think this book is very important for visitors to read.



Book Description

The seventh edition of the best selling, most trusted, and most recommended guide to gay Thailand is a two volume set plus maps. Book 1 comprehensively covers Thailand's culture and gay subcultures for travelers. Written and compiled by expatriates living in Thailand and by Thai people, it is the only responsible, culturally sensitive guide to gay Thailand. It covers Thailand's gay scene in context--not just the gay host bars and saunas. It not only tells travelers what they must know, but the hows and whys of Thailand, to help make a visit more enriching. Hotels in major destinations with a gay scene are also in Book 1. Book 2, The Men of Thailand Listings, is now a handy, take-along pocket guide. TMOT has been the only guide travelers can use to get around, with every listing in both English and Thai script, maps, and directions for finding venues. TMOT7 has many improvements, including flagging NEW venues (for those who have used previous editions), more Thai words and phrases to help get you around and communicate, including a gay-oriented Survival Thai language section. Gay, gay-friendly, and gay-patronized venues and our recommendations are flagged. Native correspondents in major destinations provide more depth and coverage than ever before. Easy icons representing a hotels' and venues' features make it easier for non-English readers to use TMOT and are a handy visual reference for English readers. Icon keys are in English, Thai, German, French and Dutch. TMOT is the only guide providing the most complete, accurate listings of Thailand's gay venues kingdomwide. The separate 32-page TMOT Thai Fun Maps is included. It contains orientation and detail maps for major Thai cities with a gay scene."

Amazon.com

amazon.co.uk has no listing.



If you can get your hands on a used edition then snap it up without delay.





  

Edited by: elephantspike2 at: 9/6/04 11:44 pm

I echo all the plaudits for The Men of Thailand, and agree with Wowpow's comments on Peter Jackson, and I also would recommend "The intrinsic quality of skin".



I would add to the list ALL the books by Pira Sudham, both for the quality of the read and an understanding of the life of the rural poor in Esarn.

So that would be "People Of Esarn" "Tales of Thailand" and "Monsoon Country", which is painted on a larger canvas, and to which a sequel is due to be published this year.



www.pirasudham.com

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Help. I've been stuffed.....and mounted too!

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Edited by: Brad the Impala at: 9/6/04 2:49 pm

Books by Pira Sudham:



Monsoon Country



People of Esarn



Terre de mousson



And, as mentioned by Brad above, by Peter A. Jackson:



Intrinsic Quality of Skin





Wowpow, you're right, there doesn't appear to ba copy of TMOT to be had anywhere, even on ebay!

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Elephantspike Home Page

Edited by: elephantspike2 at: 10/6/04 12:05 am

I guess that Terre de Mousson is Monsoon Country in French? Amazon.com does not seem to have many of his books available though they are widely distributed in Thailand, Monsoon Country, Tales of Thailand, People of Esarn.



Pira Sudham's The Force of Karma was published in 2002 continues the Monsoon Country saga (1954-1981) to date (1981-2001) It offers fascinating insight into the lives of super rich Chinese Thai families and the corrupt world of the ruling class and the insurgencies. A great read, like all his books - well he was nominated for a Nobel prize for literature, though a bit pessimistic towards the end.

This past April, while flying Eva from Taipei to Bangkok, I sat next to a gentleman named Dean Barrett and had a thoroughly enjoyable conversation.  I learned he was an author and had lived in the Bangkok area for about 28 years.  I inquired about his books and ultimately bought two of them - "Skytrain to Murder" and "Memoirs of a Bangkok Warrior" - which I found in a small bookshop just east of the Taipei Gate in Chiangmai.  I finished both books before I got home.

"Memoirs" is a Mash-style (humor) story of army finance clerks in Bangkok during the Vietnam War. It's funny - from stories of the constant disparagement (Hawkeye-style) of career officers to descriptions of legendary Whorehouse Charlie and his string of "brothelariums" (brothels operating out of housing with holes in the roofs). If you enjoyed the humor of the Mash television series, you'll enjoy this book.

"Skytrain to Murder" is a murder-mystery story set in Bangkok and also involves some of the brothelarium-type creatures. The storyline seemed a bit contrived but the setting, background, and some of the characters seemed to be  right on the money.

What I enjoyed about both books the most was the periodic comments/insights about the thai culture/mindset that seemed quite recognizable to me.  I had previously read John Burdette's "Bangkok 8" which I very much enjoyed for this reason.

In any event, a couple of other choices (although, as noted, neither are gay-related).

Edited by: Bob at: 10/6/04 5:32 am