In Grandmother's House: Thai Folklore, Traditions, and Rural Village Life

by Sorasing Kaowai

This is the fascinating true story of a boy's childhood in a remote Thai village. Brought up by his grandmother-the village matriarch, healer and midwife-Sorasing Kaowai retells some of the folk stories, traditions and superstitions that his grandmother passed on to him, including the strange tale of a mysterious forest-dwelling tribe of pygmies, a fifteen-meter-long python and even a local Bigfoot!

240 pages, Paperback

First published February 16, 2011

Reviews

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! This oral history (written down by an English man) preserves the history of Thai traditions that are disappearing as the country modernizes. I came across this book in Chiang Mai and it's now a treasured souvenir.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book covers a variety of interesting subjects such as Thai traditional herbal medicine (Granny was the village herbalist), how to deal with snakes, spiders and creepy-crawlies, ghosts and scary monsters, the position of rice and the rice mother Mae Phosop and village celebrations. It is co-authored by Sorasing Kaowai, only son of rice farmers in a remote Thai village, and native English speaker Peter Robinson, better known by his former ordained name of Phra Peter Pannapadipo. In the preface Sorasing writes, “Peter tidied up my notes (which actually required considerably more than simple tidying up) and put my memories, research and words into a readable form. The writing style is Peter’s, the memories are mine.”

The book is a fascinating glimpse into the life of Granny Say, and into the upbringing that Sorasing Kaowai experienced. His mother instilled into him the need for education, believing that was the only way her son could extricate himself from farming poverty. After Granny Say died, followed two years later by his mother, the 13-year-old Sorasing ordained as a novice monk at the village temple, and then transferred to a big city monastery to start his high school studies at the free monastic school there.

Reading this has given me greater insight to Thai culture and the tug between old ways and modern ways.

[Israel Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely informative and easy to read. This book explains some of Thailand's most unique customs, like the building of spirit houses, which can be seen all over the country but are seldom understood by tourists. One of the book's major strengths is that it takes an integrated approach to folklore: Rather than a few isolated stories, the author presents a holistic portrait of life in a rural village, showing how legends arise from the respect Thai farmers show to the land that sustains them. "In Grandmother's House" is one of few English-language books about Thai folklore and an absolute must-read for anyone who wants to understand traditional Thai culture.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This granny reminded me so vividly of my granny, and it was a joy to unlock some memories

[Mave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a Thai Friend so I wanted to read about the culture. I enjoyed it, even though I found it a little tedious at times. It helped me understand some things my friend does and says.