Revolutionary King - William Stevenson

[Thailand-UK]

The Revolutionary King
William Stevenson

The truly extraordinary life story of Buhumibol, King of Thailand, who for the last 50 years has been the monarch of one of the most troubled and exotic kingdoms of the modern world. Brought up in the West, Bhumibol acceded to the Thai throne when his brother King Ananda was assassinated, and was immediately confronted, at the age of 19, with a task that was dangerous and almost unimaginably difficult. Not only was his position insecure - he was suspected both domestically and internationally of engineering his brother's murder - but the country he hardly knew was a crucible of conflicting ideas and influences.

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[Danny]

Just finished reading this book and found it very interesting. It is packed with facts about the king that Thai people just don't speak about, (i.e. the fact that he lost an eye in a car crash in France when he was a young man) The author was given exclusive access to the king and spent periods alone with him over a period of years. The book also delves into the Thai royal family lineage and describes how his mother rose from poverty and selling fruit on the river to marrying his father prince Mahidol who she met in America.

It covers his life from a young boy with a western education and mindset who is thrust into the strange ceremonious world of the Thai royal court, firstly as brother to the previous king Ananda and then later as king himself after Ananda is killed under mysterious circumstances. It tells the story of the intrigue surrounding the royal court and how the king set about reforming the country from behind the scenes despite the political difficulties and interference form the superpowers who regarded Thailand to be strategically well placed in the battle against communism and the domino effect.

I also read that the King actually won a medal (gold I think) in the 1967 South East Asian games for windsurfing and not an Olympic Bronze as stated in the quiz on this forum last year see here . I demand a recount.

Reading this book will give you a better understanding of the Thai monarchy and why the Thai people love and respect their king so much, I certainly have more respect for him after reading it. Well worth a read.

[Grahame]

Sounds great Danny I will definately be getting a copy.....

[Grahame]

Thanks for the write up Danny!

It's my birthday on 27th and Sammi is getting me a copy as part of my present.

I'll let you know what I think.

Cheers

[Danny]

I'm sure you'll enjoy it Grahame.

Happy birthday for Tomorrow

Have to agree with everything that Danny said in his review.It really delves into the intrigue that surrounds the Thai monarchy,and gives a great insight into Thai culture.It would be fascinating to hear whether a lot of the stories contained within were common knwledge to Thai people , or had been hidden behind the palace walls.

This book is actually banned in Thailand because of the amount of information it reveals. My mother who is Thai- and well educated and informed about a lot of these matters- found a lot of the information completely new. At first she almost thought the book was written by the king himself under another name to distance himself from it because of the level of detail in the info. I read it myself and found it fascinating and indeed a rare insight into the difficulties confronting the king. I have always deeply respected him but this made me feel even stronger about it

[Grahame]

Well it took a while before I actually got a chance to start reading the book! Been busy at work.... But what can I say! So interesting and what an insight into the King his family and his life! Excellent book which I thoroughly recommend

On another note, I read the book mainly whilst flying between Newcastle and London every week and I have to say I had so many people ask about it!

Thanks for the birthday wishes Danny mate, even if it has taken me almost 4 months to get them

[livingwithathaigirl]

Brought up in the West, Bhumibol acceded to the Thai throne when his brother King Ananda was assassinated...

Is there any discussion of this subject allowed here? (The death of King Ananda). Does anyone here ever ask Thais their theories?

[prikphet]

Interesting never knew about this, used a British forensic Dr
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ananda_Mahidol

[livingwithathaigirl]

Forensics were apparently limited because so many people handled the gun, moved the body, didn't let anyone touch the royal person. Even so, there seems to be one explanation of the death more likely than the rest.

[colin244]

Interesting indeed and fascinating stuff.

colin 244

[brian99]

It is so full of errors it was banned in Thailand, not sure if it still is. The king never smiles is a far superior book, banned as well.