The Bazant Blog

Today was a big day–the book launch for Nine Years in Bangkok: Lessons Learned. A team of readers promoted my book from all over the world–Australia, UK, Cambodia, Canada, USA, Mexico, Ecuador and more. It has been an exhilarating 24 hours and the greatest gift has been receiving all the accolades after days, months and (yes) years of hard work. I would like to share a very insightful review that strikes at the very heart of my book. Here it is:

Although this book focuses on Sharon’s nine years in Bangkok, behind the poignant stories of this time in her life, the reader discovers the character of this author as a person.  We gather glimpses of her experiences as a daughter, sister, mother, wife, and friend. Through these snapshots, she reveals her authentic self as a talented, insightful, and empathetic woman, with all the joys, self-doubts, successes, and challenges that define her ongoing journey toward self-understanding.

Through her stories, we see her yearning for recognition and success as she struggles to remain true to her values and beliefs. We also see her love of personal learning and the inspiration she gains from her work and relationships with her students. We learn about the traumas she faces through interpersonal conflicts, but also appreciate the resilience she finds to deal with the issues in both her work life and her personal life. Her vivid and expressive descriptions of the wonders of the Eastern culture reveal to us how she takes advantage of the opportunities the country of Thailand offers her and her family. We are taken along with her in the travels that inspire her natural curiosity about people in cultural settings around the world. We discover how these adventures nurture her soul and compliment the deep relationships she has with her supportive husband and children.

The emotions she shares are often raw, but the theme running through the book is one of self-learning through struggle – a struggle to pragmatically accept the disappointments of life while concomitantly reaching out for hope and renewal. She seems to be seeking the strength to forgive those who have betrayed her, as she embraces all the possibilities of the rich life that continues to unfold before her.

This was an intriguing story that piqued my curiosity for what was to come. I read it from beginning to end in one sitting!

Donna Morrison, PhD