{"product_id":"the-king-never-smiles-a-biography-of-thailands-bhumibol-adulyadej","title":"The King Never Smiles: A Biography of Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe first independent biography of Thailands Bhumibol Adulyadej  whose image as a benign Buddhist god-king masked one of the worlds most politically powerful thrones  \"One of the most important books on Thailand to appear in English.\"Ian Buruma  New York Review of Books  Thailands Bhumibol Adulyadej  the only king ever born in the United States  came to the throne of his country in 1946 and at the time of his death  in October 2016  was the worlds longest serving monarch. The King Never Smiles  the first independent biography of Thailands monarch  tells the unexpected story of Bhumibols life and sixty-year rulehow a Western-raised boy came to be seen by his people as a living Buddha  and how a king widely seen as beneficent and apolitical could in fact be so deeply political and autocratic.  Paul Handley provides an extensively researched  factual account of the kings youth and personal development  ascent to the throne  skillful political maneuverings  and attempt to shape Thailand as a Buddhist kingdom. Handley takes full note of Bhumibols achievements in art  in sports and jazz  and he credits the kings lifelong dedication to rural development and the livelihoods of his poorest subjects. But  looking beyond the widely accepted image of the king as egalitarian and virtuous  Handley portrays an anti-democratic monarch who  together with allies in big business and the corrupt Thai military  has protected a centuries-old  barely modified feudal dynasty.  When at nineteen Bhumibol assumed the throne  the Thai monarchy had been stripped of power and prestige. Over the ensuing decades  Bhumibol became the paramount political actor in the kingdom  silencing critics while winning the hearts and minds of his people. The book details this process and depicts Thailands unique constitutional monarchhis life  his thinking  and his ruling philosophy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44945000595509,"sku":"ByrdShop_0300106823","price":64.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780300106824_c29e0cb3-dbbd-4a02-bd6b-48b7d15cb4da.jpg?v=1770158541","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-king-never-smiles-a-biography-of-thailands-bhumibol-adulyadej","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}