Customer Reviews

The Third Sex: Kathoey: Thailand's Ladyboys

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"The Third Sex" is not a long book, but it gives the reader a good overview of the subject of Thailand's transgender community. Khathoey form what is almost a third gender identity, and they raise some interesting issues for gender identity overall.

The book itself presents a mix of biographical sections, (about two khatoeys called Daeng and Lek), and sections on the wider issue of khatoey. The latter parts cover such issues Buddhism and khathoeys, the sex industry in Thailand, historical and modern khathoey as well as other information.

Totman's access to the transgender community in Thailand is very unusual, and he has been able to gain access to very intimate facets of khatoey life that is denied most people. He has been able to observe people who do not have an easy life in Thailand, despite the overseas image of an open culture to them.

With the biographical sections, the reader also gets to see and know the feelings, hopes, dreams and sometimes the harsh realities of life for khathoeys. These make the book all the more poignant.

Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as it gave an insight into a country and an aspect of it that one normal doesn't see outside cabaret bars. I enjoyed the book immensely, both as a well-written tome, but also as it allowed me to develop and grow in my own thinking. It doesn't not shove anything down your throat, but allows the reader to form their own ideas and thoughts. As a first book on a complex and emotive topic, this is a good one.

This book was written by, I believe, a nonfiction journalist, and it shows. It reads like a textbook, and I found it to be rather dry. Even though the copyright is 2004, it has the feel of something that came from the 70s.

If you're looking for info about kathoey/katoey, I highly recommend Ladyboys: The Secret World of Thailand's Third Gender by Pornchai Sereemongkonpol and Susan Aldous. The personal accounts of the laydboys detailed therein are written in a more realistic and entertaining manner.

It's not dazzling prose and Totman recycles some of his research but The Third Sex (a misnomer, of course; Kathoey, like old skool Western TSs, want to "become women," not queer gender) is a great take on a way cool topic. Totman explores primitive Animist society in which MtFs held a spiritual position, then makes a convincing case for Buddhism's conception of karma enculturating them. From there, it's a hop, skip and jump to Thailand's postwar cabaret scene, featuring TG Cinderellas extraordinaire. All through this meganarrative, Totman provides the reader three excellent Kathoey life histories, the final one transcending the diva pretensions of the first two. A few more interviews would have spiced up this volume but, all in all, commendable and intelligent work.

Book is well balanced and researched. Blows away the popular belief that the ladyboys of Thailand, are largely a product of the western sex industry. As this book clearly shows that the Kathoey have been steeped in the culture and traditions of Thailand or old Siam from its very foundation.

A very thought provoking analysis of a very misunderstood subject. Totman credentials are beyond reproof, he spent a long time in Thailand doing the primary research. What he explains is that Kathoeys or Ladyboys are not homosexual, but are essentially women born in men's bodies. Their visiblity in Thai society seems to have more to do with the liberal and tolerant attitude of the place rather than other reasons such as some genetic peculiarity, which implies they should be as prevalent across the rest of the world, but hide themselves from view. It would have been good to have more insight into how Ladyboys feel about their position, and how they feel about their sexuality vis-a-vis the men they desire. A good introduction, I look foward to the upcoming book by Pornchai Sereemongkonpol on the same subject.