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Hard Bones
Training in a Thai gym is hard enough as a foreigner.
For a foreigner in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic it requires, as the Thais say, hard bones to work through.
Heather is a Muay Thai fighter from the US who leaves her economically precarious life to train in Thailand, only to find herself stuck in the deep isolation of a global pandemic. She avoids Covid-19 thanks to a strict lockdown, but she barely survives the loneliness and goes deep into her mind and body. From rebuilding lost strength in the gym and encountering a burgeoning democratic movement, to making merit at temples and learning the Thai language, solidarity is the thread that binds her to a country that isn’t hers. Longing for connection but terrified of vulnerability, Heather pushes forward into the unknown and onto a path that crosses with several interesting characters who each have something to teach her about masculinity, trauma, hope, and the nature of reality.
*** $2 from every e-book sale will go to support the pro-democracy movement in Thailand **
For a foreigner in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic it requires, as the Thais say, hard bones to work through.
Heather is a Muay Thai fighter from the US who leaves her economically precarious life to train in Thailand, only to find herself stuck in the deep isolation of a global pandemic. She avoids Covid-19 thanks to a strict lockdown, but she barely survives the loneliness and goes deep into her mind and body. From rebuilding lost strength in the gym and encountering a burgeoning democratic movement, to making merit at temples and learning the Thai language, solidarity is the thread that binds her to a country that isn’t hers. Longing for connection but terrified of vulnerability, Heather pushes forward into the unknown and onto a path that crosses with several interesting characters who each have something to teach her about masculinity, trauma, hope, and the nature of reality.
*** $2 from every e-book sale will go to support the pro-democracy movement in Thailand **
149 pages, ebook
Published December 24, 2020
2 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 24, 2020
Disclaimer: I know Heather as a long time friend, in real life.
This short book is an explosive and gut-wrenching journey across the hellish year, from in transit from the United States to Thailand. Squire intersperses a wide open journey, sparing no feeling or personal interaction, and laying herself bare in deep social thoughts and analysis, pain and depression, lust and crushes, and longing for some semblance of a normal life in a global human society that has long shattered any ability for most people to lead that sort of life. She sets up the narrative by detailing her story of activist to academic to Muay Thai fighter (and a female fighter in a heavily masculine world.) Then, she dives into what has become deeply familiar to most people in the last year: the covid-19 epidemic long global emergency.
After traveling to Thailand and returning home for a deeply self-aware Muay Thai "pilgrimage", Squire decides to move to Thailand as the pandemic locks down the much of the United States, escaping barely. From there, we follow her through her recognition of what she has become immersed in: the flawed western-catered Muay Thai industry, along with the rest of a heavy tourist centered economy (including the sex industry), who Westerners use as their playground. Squire is caught between the two worlds, of the military dictatorship of Thailand and the incompetent political leadership of the United States, both dealing with the epidemic in their own ways. We learn all about spirituality, fighting through pain, self analysis, generational and deep societal shifts in wealth transfer upwards, and being a working class white woman struggling to come to terms with herself and where she fits in the world. The book shifts between that analyzing her own feelings, what is going on as she navigates being alone in Thailand and her interactions with others, and coming to understand her surroundings with sharp societal criticism and understanding of societal structure and history.
This book should appeal to a wide range of readers: narrative and travel fans who eat up social analysis, people willing to look deep inside themselves and work through heavy trauma and depression, Muay Thai fighters who are not bothered by being open eyed about their own sport and its industry (as well as sports participants and fans in general), and people who like a strong narrative that brings gender, class, and race lenses to looking at the world.
This short book is an explosive and gut-wrenching journey across the hellish year, from in transit from the United States to Thailand. Squire intersperses a wide open journey, sparing no feeling or personal interaction, and laying herself bare in deep social thoughts and analysis, pain and depression, lust and crushes, and longing for some semblance of a normal life in a global human society that has long shattered any ability for most people to lead that sort of life. She sets up the narrative by detailing her story of activist to academic to Muay Thai fighter (and a female fighter in a heavily masculine world.) Then, she dives into what has become deeply familiar to most people in the last year: the covid-19 epidemic long global emergency.
After traveling to Thailand and returning home for a deeply self-aware Muay Thai "pilgrimage", Squire decides to move to Thailand as the pandemic locks down the much of the United States, escaping barely. From there, we follow her through her recognition of what she has become immersed in: the flawed western-catered Muay Thai industry, along with the rest of a heavy tourist centered economy (including the sex industry), who Westerners use as their playground. Squire is caught between the two worlds, of the military dictatorship of Thailand and the incompetent political leadership of the United States, both dealing with the epidemic in their own ways. We learn all about spirituality, fighting through pain, self analysis, generational and deep societal shifts in wealth transfer upwards, and being a working class white woman struggling to come to terms with herself and where she fits in the world. The book shifts between that analyzing her own feelings, what is going on as she navigates being alone in Thailand and her interactions with others, and coming to understand her surroundings with sharp societal criticism and understanding of societal structure and history.
This book should appeal to a wide range of readers: narrative and travel fans who eat up social analysis, people willing to look deep inside themselves and work through heavy trauma and depression, Muay Thai fighters who are not bothered by being open eyed about their own sport and its industry (as well as sports participants and fans in general), and people who like a strong narrative that brings gender, class, and race lenses to looking at the world.
December 28, 2020
I'm not usually into non-fic, but Heather's tale of being stuck in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic while a burgeoning pro-democratic movement blossomed there weaves a great tale from Heather's experiences all framed around the failures of modern capitalism.
There's not many books, never mind non-fiction, that I pick up and read almost straight through, then feel immediately compelled to help the author however I can, but right here, that's one of those books.
There's not many books, never mind non-fiction, that I pick up and read almost straight through, then feel immediately compelled to help the author however I can, but right here, that's one of those books.
December 30, 2020
I met Heather a few years back during a union organizing campaign. I always enjoyed talking with Heather, and she's a great chef. I'm glad we've kept in touch over the years. This book really brings me hope, how someone can do the challenging and scarey things in life and come out on top. give this book a try, you won't be sorry.
February 1, 2021
Hard Bones was my first sample of Heather Squire’s writing and I was thoroughly impressed. I hope to see more from her in the future. She bares herself and emotions as a single woman abroad in a tumultuous time in both the world and her life. Heather keeps the reader captive with a unique voice that is direct, yet emotional, and introspective. The story of her Muay Thai journey through Thailand in a time of pandemic and social movement is relatable to a wide audience. Read it
August 19, 2021
Knowing somebody personally doesn't mean you truly know them and how they feel. This book gave me insight to a friend, her feelings and her reactions. I was supportive and proud of her when she became a fighter but this book explains so much about a friend and her experiences that I could never have known without reading.
It is a book that has every emotion. I'm proud of her and her ability to put her experiences to words.
It is a book that has every emotion. I'm proud of her and her ability to put her experiences to words.
November 12, 2021
Incredible. I say this not only as a friend of the author’s but as an avid book reader— Hard Bones is a must read. As more narratives come out from what the COVID pandemic looked like for folks, Hard Bones is refreshing. There is no “grind until you make it”, there is no superficial materialistic expectations, just a being working through their trauma in a new country. My only wish is that it was longer
January 6, 2021
I read this in a single sitting --absolutely could not put it down. It's entertaining, informative, challenging, moving, inspiring, and much more. You will not be disappointed!
January 7, 2021
So freaking good in every way.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews