Great reading that provides a sense of the city, from the Traveler online Ultimate Travel Library.
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Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture, by Philip Cornwel-Smith (2005)
A must-have for anyone interested in scratching beneath the surface of modern Thai culture and its origins. For almost every question about modern Bangkok, the answer is here.
Bangkok 8, by John Burdett (2003)
Probably the best of a bunch of ex-pat-written pulp fiction set amid the seedy Bangkok underworld. Follows a half-Thai, half-farang detective chasing the killer of a U.S. marine.
Jasmine Nights, by SP Somtow (1995)
This novel by Thai-born, Eton-educated SP Somtow illuminates Thai culture through the eyes of a 12-year-old Thai boy, who becomes friends with an African-American boy in 1960s Thailand. Delightful read.
The Damage Done, by Warren Fellows (1997)
Often harrowing account of life inside Bangkok’s notorious Bang Kwang prison, aka the “Bangkok Hilton,” by this long-time resident.
Sightseeing, by Rattawut Lapcharoensap (2005)
A collection of short stories by this award-winning Thai-American author, dealing with modern Thai culture and its interaction with Western people and ideas.
