Our Books
Dark Karma: Book Two of the Beads on a String Trilogy
- Paul Wedel and Yuangrat Wedel
Beads on a String: A Novel of Southern Siam
- Yuangrat Wedel and Paul Wedel
Dark Karma, published in April, 2024, is the second novel in the Beads on a String trilogy. It picks up the stories of Ploi, Prem, Dam, Pakdi, Som, and Ngwe Lay in 1917 and takes them through 1922. They face challenges from the Spanish Flu epidemic, a charismatic faith healer, unrest in the Malay provinces, and brutal competition for control of the gambling business in the south. Woven into the story are the rapid political and technological changes that came to the southern provinces in those years as Siam rapidly modernizes. The integration of a flood of hard-working Chinese migrants both drives and destabililizes Siam’s development.
Beads on a String is set amid the wrenching social and political changes at the end of the 19th century as four families in southern Siam become tied together by ambition, revenge, love, and tragedy.
We did extensive research to recreate life in southern Siam as administrative reform, colonialist pressure, and cultural conflict created forces that still impact life in Thailand today. They describe the political intrigues leading to the arrest of the raja of Pattani, the struggle to control illegal gambling, and changing forms of marriage and family. Woven through the book is the striving of a wandering monk for peace and enlightenment.
Beads on a String is published by River Books. Copies are available on the River Books website and leading book stores in Thailand and will soon be on sale around the region. A Kindle ebook version is available on Amazon.com where you can also order a paperback version for delivery in April.
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Radical Thought, Thai Mind
2018 Revised Edition
- Yuangrat Wedel and Paul Wedel
Originally published in 1985, the revised edition of Radical Thought, Thai Mind adds more recent scholarship and new interviews with leaders of the country’s largest radical group.
Our book examines the rise of resistance against the traditional values and beliefs supporting the traditional ‘sakdina’ system. We analyze the ways in which Thai thinkers have adapted and sometimes distorted foreign political concepts to combat traditional ways of thought. We look at the role of Marxism in Thai radical thought in the volatile 1960s and 1970s.
We describe key personalities and events, but our focus is on the thinking behind those people and events. We hope this account will not only help readers understand Thailand’s political history, but will further understanding of the political conflicts of the 21st century.
Radical Thought, Thai Mind is available at a low price on Amazon, but you can get the pdf version for free if you join our email newsletter group. If you prefer an ebook or paperback version, it is available on the Amazon website here.