Village girls torn between two worlds indulge in sex at a very early age. Teen age pregnancy, drug use, dropping out of school and running away from home have become common. Extended families once dependent on young people for labor are left on their own. Young people escape from the villages. Some will return, to die of HIV, privately, hiding their illness silently, adding more shame to their family’s lives. Fathers and mothers and grandparents, illiterate but hard working and honest, are left wondering - How did all this come about so quickly? Why did village life centuries old break apart? This is a story about “Happy”, a young girl from a rural Thai farming village. She is a happy girl because she escaped the confines of her parent’s rice fields and the restrictions of village life, where everyone knows everyone and everyone contributes to village labor. She is happy because she is liberated from all that is loved by her farmer parents and traditional village people. She is free of farm labor and free from helping her extended family harvest rice. “Happy” is free because she entered the “entertainment industry” of Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket, free to dance naked to the intoxicating sounds of rap music, free and happy to sell her sex. Poverty and lack of education is the sex trafficker. It is more anonymous, but its face is everywhere. It is the mother of ignorance and the father of futility. This is a story written by the only Western man living in a remote Thai village. He writes what he observes. He writes about the characters in his small village: “Happy”, “The Solder Man” and his wife, “The Pumpui Fat Lady”, “Buddhist Monks” who come to rid a place from bad spirits manifesting themselves as pests; bed bugs, cock roaches and fleas. And he writes about “Kitty” a seven year-old girl infected by HIV, brought to the village by her prostitute mother who hopes to find someone to care for “Kitty” before mama dies. It is a story of dramatic social change and the breakup of traditional Thai village life. Keywords - Thailand, Rural Thai Village Life, Prostitution, Social Change, Issan, Teen Pregnancy

Khantida, a spirited young Thai courtesan, once married to a handsome but ruthless police major, finds herself desperately seeking sanctuary in her rural childhood village, Phayu. Wrathful ghosts and angels are drawn to the battle between the former lovers as the village suffers. The fates of Khantida, her 6-year-old daughter, Noi, her sister, Som, and numerous other citizens of northeast Thailand are all played out in one shocking, often horrifying, week. Much of the world undergoes terrifying changes attracting the spirits of the dead as well as angels from Nirvana to a tiny Thai town that nobody ever heard of.

Boys' Life is the official youth magazine for the Boy Scouts of America. Published since 1911, it contains a proven mix of news, nature, sports, history, fiction, science, comics, and Scouting.

A whirlwind personal history of modern Asia, as told through his Malaysian and Chinese heritage

A Time Magazine 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time selection!​ A Reader’s Digest Best Children’s Book of All Time​! This stunning fantasy inspired by Chinese folklore is a companion novel to Starry River of the Sky and the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award finalist When the Sea Turned to Silver In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer. Grace Lin, author of the beloved Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat returns with a wondrous story of adventure, faith, and friendship. A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless story reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Her beautiful illustrations, printed in full-color, accompany the text throughout. Once again, she has created a charming, engaging book for young readers.

Written by the founders of HoneyTrek.com, this inspiring book reveals hidden-gem destinations and insider tips for unforgettable couples travel. In these informative pages, Mike and Anne Howard--officially the World's Longest Honeymooners and founders of the acclaimed travel blog HoneyTrek--whisk you away to journeys of a lifetime. Drawing on their experience traveling together across seven continents, they curate the globe and offer tested-and-approved recommendations for intrepid couples, bringing culture, adventure, and romance to any couple--no matter their age or budget. Chapters are organized by type of destination (for example, beaches, mountains, and deserts) to help travelers discover new places and experiences based on their interests. Each entry focuses on a specific region, getting to the essence of each locale and its one-of-a-kind offerings. The authors reveal the best time to visit, the best places to stay, and recommended activities--each with their own adventure rating to illustrate level of intensity. Special features include funny and insightful stories from the Howards' own adventures, expert advice from other renowned traveling couples, and tips to increase the romance and excitement at each destination. A large map shows every location covered in the book, and each entry has a locator map depicting the city and country. Both entertaining and informative, this book is an invaluable resource and inspiration for a lifetime of travel.

This book tells the story of fashion workers engaged in the labor of design and the material making of New York fashion. Christina H. Moon offers an illuminating ethnography into the various sites and practices that make up fashion labor in sample rooms, design studios, runways, factories, and design schools of the New York fashion world. By exploring the work practices, social worlds, and aspirations of fashion workers, this book offers a unique look into the meaning of labor and creativity in 21st century global fashion. This book will be of interest to scholars in design studies, fashion history, and fashion labor.