Enjoying the easy to read writing style, we exploit the daily life of some slum dwelling youngsters, which had to skip school to support their families. We become part of their daily struggle to make a living in the atrocious traffic and polluted streets of Bangkok, among them, Ngop and Long, the main figures. Leafing through the first chapter, we already sense the quirk of destiny that lingers all the way through the story. Walking on the wooden footpath, bordered by makeshift homes on stilts, we can smell the biting whiff of the swamp beneath, and little by little, but in an increasing tempo, we become part of the scenery, and we share all the unexpected events, both comical and heartbreaking. But what is more, in the face of the thorny conditions the actors have to put up with, we perceive the gist of commonsensical kindness, which is native to the Thai people.Concerning Thai society, we observe that the fine line regarding one's family background, connections, status and money play an important role in Thailand. Money opens doors, often bypassing written laws and what Westerners call morality. Even if Thais keenly adhere to Buddhism, they sometimes tend to overlook the teachings of the Buddha as next to Him; money remains a much-adored fetish, while the poor pass on the fate of poverty from generation to generation with little chance to escape that trap. The quintessence of the story, regardless of the happenings and their consequences, bases on the conditions on which life is built.
About the Author: Richard Wolter was born in Kirchdorf, a village in Northern Germany. Although, when asked about his origin, he enjoys quoting a phrase of Socrates, slightly changed and tongue in cheek; 'I'm not German, French, English or American, but a Citizen of the World who made Thailand his home'. The author's former vocation in medical technology included extensive worldwide travelling. He started writing at the age of forty in both English and German. So far he wrote Slum Kids, two volumes of short stories in German: 'Das Dorf der Frauen' and 'Das kurze Glück des Herrn Machatschek' now been translated into English under the headings 'The Women's Hamlet' and 'The short-lived Happiness of Mr. Machatshek'. Richard Wolter lives in Uttaradit, Thailand. Suchitra Onkom, a University teacher, was born in Nakhon Sawan, Thailand. Although a practicing Buddhist, she spent part of her youth in a Muslim family. She holds a bachelor's degree of arts and a doctor's degree of philosophy. Suchitra started writing at the age of twenty-two with a short story named 'The gift from Heaven'. Her books include 'The Concept of Happiness in Buddhist Philosophy', 'The Concept of Man in Buddhism and Existentialism', 'Comparative Religion', 'An Introduction to Philosophy and 'Practice of Meditation'. Her renowned novel, written in Thai under the title 'All sentient Beings are determined by their Karma' was translated into English under the heading 'Fruit of Karma'. In 2003 she received an international reward in Toronto, Canada for her essay 'Creating sustainable World Peace'. She wrote numerous articles and short stories for Thai magazines. Suchitra Onkom lives in Bangkok, Thailand.