Thailand Additional Resources

The Chastening: Inside the Financial Crisis that Rocked the Global Financial System and Humbled the IMF , by Paul Blustein (2002). A cogent study of the Asian Financial Crisis.
Thailand’s Durable Premier: Phibun through Three Decades 1932-1957 , by Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian (1996). A biography of Thailand’s most controversial and influential political leader, Field Marshal Phibunsongkhram.
The Lands of Charm and Cruelty: Travels in Southeast Asia , by Stan Sesser (1994). A collection of compelling essays originally published in The New Yorker .
Modern Thailand: A Volume in the Comparative Societies Series , by Robert Slagter and Harold Kerbo (1999). A review of contemporary Thai institutions and social change.
Thailand: A Short History , by David Wyatt (1982). An excellent history of Thailand.

Culture

When Elephants Paint: The Quest of Two Russian Artists to Save the Elephants of Thailand , by Dave Eggers, Vitaly Komar, and Alexander Melamid (2000). This book tells the artists’ story of their struggle to support Thai elephant sanctuaries with profits made by the elephants themselves through the sale of their jumbo-sized artistic masterpieces.
Genders and Sexualities in Modern Thailand , ed. by Peter Jackson and Nerida Cook (2000). Essays interpreting roles and patterns of gender in Thailand since the 1800s.
Peoples of the Golden Triangle: Six Tribes in Thailand , by Paul and Elaine Lewis (1998). A historiography of local hill tribes in northern Thailand, with personal vignettes.
Endangered Relations: Negotiating Sex and AIDS in Thailand , by Chris Lyttleton (2000). Describes the intersection of Thai conceptions of sexuality and public health measures to reverse the nation’s infamous AIDS/HIV trend.
The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia , by Donald Swearer (1995). A comprehensive academic text covering Buddhist scripture and tenets, the relationship between Buddhism and the government, and the changes in Buddhism in the past 30 years.
Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture , by Philip Cornwel-Smith (2005). Great photographs offset colorful text in this book on pop culture in Thailand.

Fiction And Non-Fiction

Singing to the Dead: A Missioner’s Life Among Refugees from Burma , by Victoria Armour-HiIleman (2002). Journal of a missionary working with Mon refugees in an illegal camp.
4,000 Days: My Life and Survival in a Bangkok Prison , by Warren Fellows (1998). True story of an Australian who was caught trafficking heroin and spent 12 years in jail.
The Beach , by Alex Garland (1997). A thrilling narcotics adventure about backpackers in search of paradise. A perfect beach read.
Ban Vinai , by Lynellyn Long (1992). Narrative based on the author’s ethnographic research in Ban Vinai, a Thai camp sheltering Lao and Cambodian refugees.
Silk Umbrellas , by Carolyn Marsden (2004). Children’s book about a young girl’s attempt to help contribute to her struggling family. Contains a small glossary of Thai terms.
Thaksin: The Business of Politics in Thailand (2004). A study of controversial former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Monsoon Country , by Pira Sudham (1988). Personal account of the period of tumult and revolution experienced by Thai culture and politics from 1954-1980. Sudham was nominated for the Nobel Prize for this work. His People of Esarn (1987) is highly informative background reading for those traveling to northeast Thailand.
The Force of Karma , by Pira Sudham (2001). The sequel to Monsoon Country , depicting the Thai massacres of 1973, 1976 and 1992.
A Fortune-Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East , by Tiziano Terzani (2001). A journalist’s trek through Southeast Asia, focusing on myths, religions, and mysticism.
Siam: Or the Woman Who Shot a Man , by Lily Tuck (2000). A novel highlighting cultural misunderstandings and an obsession with a lost American entrepreneur.

Film

The Bridge on the River Kwai , directed by David Lean, starring Sir Alec Guinness and William Holden (1957). WWII epic based on a true story about Allied POWs forced to build a bridge connecting Thailand to Burma. The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and brings hundreds of tourists to flock to Kanchanaburi annually.
The Iron Ladies , directed by Youngyooth Thongkonthun (2000). A comedy about an underdog volleyball team, composed mostly of gays, transvestites, and transsexuals.
Mysterious Object at Noon , conceived and directed by Weerasethakul (2001). Fiction tale crafted by the many people the director encountered as he traveled through the Thai countryside. Documentary film provides a glimpse into Thai traditions and culture.
Ong Bak: Thai Warrior , directed by Prachya Pinkaew (2003). Action film follows a Muay Thai boxer as he tracks down his village’s stolen Buddha statue.
Suriyothai , directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol (2001). Historical epic set in the Ayutthaya period that follows events in the life of Queen Suriyothai.
Tropical Malady , directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (2004). This surrealist film won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2004.

Travel Books

Dream of a Thousand Lives: A Sojourn in Thailand, by Karen Connelly (2001). A young Western woman’s experience working and studying on a small Thai farm.
Travelers’ Tales: Thailand , ed. by James O’Reilly and Larry Habegger (1993). Collection of stories about Thailand, Thai culture, and traveling.
Travels in the Skin Trade: Tourism and the Sex Industry , by Jeremy Seabrook (2001). In-depth look at the relationship between tourism, Western media, and the sex industry.
Thailand: The Golden Kingdom , by William Warren and Luca Tettoni (1999). Photograph-filled travel companion book that details Thai art, history, and culture.

On The Web

Tourism Authority of Thailand (www.tourismthailand.org). Official website of TAT is possibly the best launching pad for information on visiting Thailand, containing travel tips, a constantly updated events list, and a general overview of the country.
Thailand Youth Hostel Association (www.tyha.org). The name says it all: solid budget accommodations. Individual hostel information and Internet booking available.