Panrit “Gor” Daoruang is undoubtedly Thailand’s most famous Internet teenager. He has been writing about his life growing up in Thailand ever since the age of 12. The blogs about his teenage years first appeared on his internationally acclaimed ThailandLife.com website back in 1997. Many people have argued that Gor was probably the first regular blogger in Thailand. In his online secret diary, he wrote about his school and home life as well as his holidays around Thailand. However, what gripped everyone’s attention was the turbulent relationship with his first girlfriend and his harrowing descent into drug addiction. By the tender age of only 16, he was discovered by the Bangkok Post who then asked him to write a weekly column for them about his life.
Every week for more than two years, Gor entertained and shocked his regular readers with the antics of a typical modern Thai teenager trying to coexist with the strictness of Thai culture. Motorcycle racing, teenage pregnancy, smoking at school, gambling, drinking and drug addiction were all covered in shockingly honesty in his weekly column called Gor’s World. However, he also showed how he valued Thai culture and customs with his descriptions of his own wedding and the birth of his daughter, Nong Grace. When he reached the age of 20, Gor ordained for a short time as a monk. Sadly, just a few months after he left the monkhood, Gor was arrested by the police for drug possession. Gor had been addicted to “yaa baa”, or crazy medicine, ever since the age of 15. He had tried many times to quit, but the amphetamine drug proved to be too addictive. Gor was later sentenced to six years in prison though this was then commuted to three years as the judge had persuaded him to plead guilty at the last moment. He is now in Samut Prakan Central Prison where the guards have recruited him to be a kind of unofficial translator due to his fluency in English.
Gor started writing this book when he was only twelve years old. He always knew that one day he would be publishing his autobiography. He just didn’t realize that he would be doing that at the age of only twenty one. As a former drug addict and a High School drop out, Gor has shown his teachers that he wasn’t a lost cause after all. This book is a must read for anyone interested in Thai culture or who are thinking about teaching in Thailand. It is refreshing to be able to read a book about Thai culture that has actually been written in English by a Thai person. For the first time ever, here is the story of what Thai teenagers are really up to in their spare time. Not to be missed!
The book will be available shortly in all good bookstores in Thailand such as Asia Books and Bookazine. It is good value for money as it also has 32 pages of colour pictures. Gor has decided to donate 100% of his author fees to a trust fund which has been set up to pay for the education of his daughter. Nong Grace will be starting Kindergarten this month at Gor’s old school.
For people living outside of Thailand, please visit www.BuyThaiBooks.com to place your order.
For people living inside Thailand, please visit www.PaknamBooks.com where the book will be sent for free by EMS.
For customers of BuyThaiBooks.com, if you buy Gor’s book this month, your name will be automatically entered into a lucky draw to win a unique watch with Thai numerals.
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