In many ways books are much better than DVDs. While used ones in Thailand cost about 160 baht as opposed to 100 baht per DVD, movies rarely last longer than 2 hours, especially if you hit the fast-forward button. The BLACK DAHLIA flashed before my eyes in less than 12 minutes. It sucked.
Reading a book is a journey of days, unless the book was no good, however last year I was lucky enough to find THE LAST EXECUTIONER by Chavoret Jaruboon, the Thailand’s last prison executioner.
The functional writing recounted Mr. Jaruboon’s life as a teenage rock musician, soldier, prison guard, executioner, and finally monk. Neither of his first three careers prepared him for the fifty-five executions that he performed at Bang Kwang prison.
To him the job of poo sam-re?t toht or executioner meant more money.
2000 baht a job.
In the book he outlined the crimes which led the condemned to their fate. Their crimes were often heinous. On the day of execution they were tied to a crucifix and shot up to fifteen times by a machine gun. This humble man respected the dead for fear of their ghosts. In the end Khun Jaraboon was glad to see the deadly fusillade replaced by fatal injection.
His last job was on 12/8/2002.
Eight bullets into the back of a murdering rapist.
After that Jaruboon became a monk.
His favorite band was the Beatles.
One more thing.
Paperbacks are better than hard-covers.
You can swap mosquitoes with them.