[.ca] Culture Shock! Thailand: A Survival Guide to Customs and ... (ISBN 1558689419)

Out of date but still useful:
If you're looking for a short read with add-on value, then this book is for you. It has more depth than what you will find in a Fodor's or Lonely Planet. Part of the book tries to appeal to expats moving their families to Thailand, which is a mistake because you just can't cover the complexities of that chore in a small paperback. Unfortunately, the book IS out of date. While originally published in the early 80s, it looks more like the early 70s. If I were the author, I would make a serious attempt at revamping the whole thing. I felt like I was reading an old National Geographic.

More than a guidebook, gives an inside look at the Thais:
I recently went to Thailand and bought 4 books and Nancy Chandler's map of Bangkok. Of those four books (and the map) this was the most helpful on my trip. It gave me something no other guidebook ever has given me: an inside look at Thai culture and an understanding of my own reactions as a transplant into a totally foreign environment. If you want to go to Thailand and see the tourist attractions, then almost any guidebook will do. But if you want to experience the tradition with an understanding of the history and meaning behind it, or get to know the people on a level closer than just a touristing "farang" \oforeigner\c, this book will open your eyes to the uniquely beautiful ways of the Thais. This is more than just a guidebook, this is an inside look at Thailand you won't find anywhere else.

Culture shock Thailand, or Bangkok?:
Culture Shock Thailand is very good start for anyone planning to live in or visit Bangkok, less so for those planning to live elsewhere. But it is really only a start. Many of the rules of etiquette given are over simplified but are good guidelines to start from. For example, the book make it appear as if no one ever dares to touch anyone else on the head, if fact they do so quite often. But for someone arriving for the first time or visiting for a short time it's best to follow this guideline. My main complaint about this book is that it's centered around Bangkok. I found large parts of it less than useful for life in the mid-sized northern town where I lived. For the most part, everything outside Bangkok is classed as "Upcountry" and mentioned only occationally as if it were another planet the expart would rarely venture into. Still, I would strongly reccommend it for anyone planning to live and work in Thailand. But once your there, don't expect everything to work exactly as described in the guide.

A must for people going to Thailand:
This is one of the funniest and nicest books I read when I prepared myself four years ago to go to live in Thailand. Thailand is a very special country. It has never been for a long time conquered by alien powers and therefore has developed a unique, own culture. This book gives you a good insight and, much more, it wets your appetite. Going to live in Thailand, with the family, is a big shock in many ways. This book guides you nice and gently and with a lot of humor through your first embarrassing days. I have re-read the book , after four years, whilst now feeling complete at ease in this, indeed sometimes strange society. I still smiled a lot because I recognised so many situations. The information is certainly not out dated as some reviews suggest. It should be more treated as reflection on the culture as taken too literally. Indeed, if you drive your car into some one else his Mercedes ( I've done it twice)the chances are that the gentleman stepping out his car will be extremely cross with you and express himself in that way instead of smiling at you and making the wai... However, in general people are much, much less aggressive and I have learned to be more relaxed even in situations like an accident as well. Some things you will never get used to. When you fall flat on your face ( as happende to me in front of a lot of subordinates) everybody is roaring for laughter. And then you thank your little "Culture shock" for explaining to you these four years ago that they are not poking fun at you, but hiding their extreme embarrassment. Read it.. It will prevent you from doing very stupid things and it will enrichen your stay in Thailand!

A helpful start, but patchy sometimes vague coverage:
This book remains the one volume available outside of Thailand that has been written for people who are planning to live, work, or study in that country (several guides of varying utility are available in Thailand). The book provides more info than a typical guidebook about Thai culture and customs, but I have found it not so much outdated as limited in scope. The section on supervising Thai workers does not go beyond putting on a happy face and bringing cream cakes to the office. In practice, one needs a wider repertoire of skills than that. Similarly, the advice on social behavior doesn't go much beyond the stuff that makes people paranoid about offending Thais (e.g., watching where your toes are pointed, not patting people on the head). In addition, the book does not help people with the inevtable "violations" of cultural rules by Thais themselves, nor does it provide simple startegies for adaptation (like learning to watch people and emulate their behavior). The book does not provide useful starting places for adapting to Thai culture---for example, the similarities in cultural codes to what one finds in non-urban parts of the US Midwest. It's surprising that this book has not undergone major revision and that no other has emerged as a replacemnt---it would not be difficult to do.