Becoming a Man in Thailand: A Young Man's Journey of Self-Discovery — C.J. Fawcett

Nathan Foster was a coward. Kicked out of Marine boot camp and afraid to face his high-ranking Marine father, he stole his father's frequent flyer miles to run away to Thailand until he could figure out what to do with his wreck of a life. Socially inept, Nathan quickly gravitated to the bars where, for once in his life, women seemed to like him. And at 19 years old, he liked them right back. Quickly settling into a routine with other expats, he was able to forget about his failures back at home. Despite his success with bargirls, though, he formed a crush on Nok, a receptionist at his hotel. And when she invited him to her hometown for a visit, he accepted. Village life was a far cry from Bangkok's excitement, but he tried to fit in and get to know Nok better. And in doing so, he began to get a different view of Thailand, from Buddhism to farming to family life. However, when another village girl returned with her Russian boyfriend, things got tense, and Nathan the coward, Nathan the failure, makes his return. Would he simply run away again, or could he actually take a stand for the first time in his life, actually become a man?