Sherri Rosen Publicity, NYC-”Talk Thai” Review by Linda Linguvic
Subtitled “The Adventures of Buddhist Boyâ€, this memoir is about a Thai boy growing up in a Chicago suburb in the 1980s. Born in America to Thai immigrants, Ira is confused about his identity. He describes this confusion with a sense of humor that had me laughing out loud at times. Behind the humor, however, is his quest for belonging and his upset of not fitting in.
I was easily swept into Ira’s story and his conflict with his parents’ Buddhism and the Christianity of his schoolmates. His parent’s view of the “God†people and their worldview of their surroundings offered a fresh perspective on a subject most people take for granted. Viewed through Ira’s eyes, it made the differences easy to understand.
But Ira is just a boy. And like all boys he desires to please his father who tries to make him a golf champion and his mother who would like him to take a more active part n the Buddhist temple. But Ira hangs out with his American friends, learning American macho ways, getting into fights, discovering pornography and growing up with conflicts. And then, his world is shattered by a rift between his parents, and I could understand the upset it caused.
This book is only 169 pages long. It is a fast read and an unique glimpse into one boy’s life. It’s a classic coming-of-age story with a Thai twist and its share of humor as well as heartbreak.
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