Thailand Fever review in 'Chiang Mai City Life'

Discussion of Thai-Western relationships and the book, "Thailand Fever."
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Chris Pirazzi
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Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 2:10 am

Thailand Fever review in 'Chiang Mai City Life'

Post by Chris Pirazzi » Thu Jun 23, 2005 2:11 pm

A popular monthly Chiang Mai expat magazine has reviewed
Thailand Fever in their June 2005 issue:

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/2005/ ... oks_46.php

THAILAND FEVER: A ROAD MAP FOR THAI-WESTERN RELATIONSHIPS
By Chris Pirazzi and Vitida Vasant, reviewed by Col. Tom Parker

Paiboon Poomsam Publishing
251 Pages
Suriwong Book Center

They say never judge a book by its cover but one look at this garish
publication had me moaning deep inside at the gloomy prospect of
reading yet another story of how a hapless middle-aged Englishman fell
prey to a cute Surin farm girl and her sick buffalo stories. However,
once inside Thailand Fever's misleading cover, I fell prey to a
uniquely revealing voyage into a world of mixed-race relationships and
their accompanying hazards.

Authors Chris Pirazzi and Vitida Vasant have extensively researched
the common pitfalls of a Thai/Western relationship and they introduce
the cultural differences that can lead to these pitfalls. In a clear,
easily digestible format authors Pirazzi and Vasant describe Thai and
Western values, problems regarding sex, visiting the parents and the
misunderstandings surrounding money and support. They also deftly
introduce the misconceptions many people have about living in Thailand
or in the West. The book is written in both English and Thai, with the
Thai appearing on the adjacent page.

I must confess to approaching the book in a slightly arrogant way,
having been in a mixed relationship for some time, but it did
demonstrate some interesting points of contention between my partner
and I and in particular helped her to understand some of the values
inherent in my personality that motivates my 'strange' and 'unusual'
behaviour. Thailand Fever is, however, disappointingly short,
especially when considering its subject matter. Despite this its
attempt to cover a vast and multifarious phenomenon is admirable and
fills a gap in an area of society that deserves more serious and
protracted research. (see Citylife's cover article on Mixed Marriage
in the March 2005 edition for more details -
http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/2005/ ... /index.php)

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