Memoirs of a Bangkok Warrior: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: operations compound, wall lizards, last chips, Fat Eddy, Whore House Charlie, Doc Spitz (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of my favorite books about Thailand. Excellent characters and dialogue. It would make a great movie!" -- Hello My Big, Big Honey

"One of the funniest books I've read in years. Tender, moving, economical, subtly building." -- Simon Albury, Producer, Granada Television Ltd., London

"This is a funny and human book which can describe sex without descending into sheer nastiness." -- South China Morning Post 1991

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Village East Books; 1st trade pbk. ed edition (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966189922
• ISBN-13: 978-0966189926
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #814,564 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny & Moving!, February 9, 2000

By A Customer

Memoirs of a Bangkok Warrior is set in Bangkok during the 1960's, a Bangkok far more innocent than it is now. A time when American GIs could give mess hall apples to taxi drivers in lieu of cash (Thais love apples but they don't grow well in their climate). Dean Barrett handles character and dialogue quite impressively, and his protagonist ("Pineapple") is a remarkable reference point amidst the madness of war in Southeast Asia. It is a very funny and very special novel, tremendously entertaining and would make a fun movie. It is as spicy as the food of the Thais and his knowledge of both military madness and Thai culture is obvious. I also enjoyed the love story between the soldier and the Thai woman but it is the satirical humor that stands out for me. A great read!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended reading for anyone who ever donned a uniform., February 4, 2000

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Rick Taylor is a Specialist 4th Class, US Army is a frequenter of mid-1960s Bangkok, Thailand brothels and prone to clashing with his military superiors, falling in love with Thai women, and embellishing tales of the legendary Whore House Charlie -- his hero and godhead. Dean Barrett's Memoirs Of A Bangkok Warrior satirizes military justice (especially as it applied to enlisted men), and through satirical human, raises questions of a soldier's role in war and peace. Memoirs Of A Bangkok Warrior suggests that the clash of cultures and values between American officers and enlisted men often exceeded that which existed between Thais and Americans. Memoirs Of A Bangkok Warrior is recommended reading for anyone who ever donned a uniform and found themselves far from home.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent satire, September 16, 2000

By A Customer

This novel is hilarious, especially if you were an enlisted man in the military but is also sometimes moving. However, for me, the chapter entitled, The Chaplain's Last Sermon, is fantastic. A Mark Twain-type satire and a satire on chaplains and prayer and war and thinking that some god somewhere is listening to our prayers to destroy an enemy. It brings to mind Twain's "War Prayer," but this chapter is much more developed. This book would make a hilarious movie. Thin-skinned officers might not like it but anyone with a sense of humor will. Whore House Charlie lives!!