From Publishers Weekly As an anthropology graduate student， Odzer was in Thailand in 1988-90 studying its prostitution industry， centered in the Patpong district of Bangkok. Because of the culture's particularly repressive views of women's rights and female sexuality， according to the author， prostitution thrives， attracting many foreign male tourists. Studies estimate that between 15 and 30% of Thai women work in the sex industry， and Odzer's goal was to assess the impact of such a career on their lives. She discovered that， while prostitution is in many respects demeaning， its practitioners are nevertheless more "liberated" and more self-assertive than more traditional Thai women. The book is shorter on analysis than on narrative accounts of Odzer's interaction with various Patpong women and men， which， while lacking the academic rigor she initially promises， are engrossing. At times tales of her own romantic adventures all but subsume discussion of her research project. Illustrations. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information， Inc. From Booklist Odzer went to Bangkok to study prostitution for her anthropology dissertation， but she comes across as anything but academic in this highly personal， anecdotal account of her experiences in Patpong， the city's thriving red-light district. Indeed， her findings confound expectations. The bar girls Odzer managed to befriend were adept in turning sexual transactions into affairs of the heart， making Western men feel responsible for them and， eventually， their families. Compared to the village life they left， these enterprising women were living the good life， earning much more money than they possibly could at more respectable occupations. When Odzer accompanied her friends and subjects on their visits home， they were treated like dignitaries， admired for their pretty clothes， freedom， and sophistication. Odzer even managed to win the confidence of some Western men willing to explain their infatuations with these pragmatic， even ruthless Thai women， but her own messy affair with a Thai man provided her with the most revealing insights into the conundrums of Patpong life. Candid， intrepid， and perceptive， Odzer humanizes a realm outsiders are all to quick to judge and dismiss， a realm shadowed， now， by a looming AIDS epidemic. Donna Seaman See all Editorial Reviews