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Podcast: NBN Book of the Day
Episode: Michael Hurley, "Waterways of Bangkok: Memory, Landscape and Twilight" (NUS Press, 2025)
Description: Bangkok is one of the worldâs great cities, and the central artery of that city is the Chaophraya River. Michael Hurleyâs book, Waterways of Bangkok: Memory, Landscape, and TwilightÂ ï»ż(NUS Press, 2025) just published by National University of Singapore Press, is an evocative reflection on the riverâs place in Thai history, society, and culture. The author describes the Chaophraya River as the âbinding thread of the Thai heartlandâ. He uses the river to examine historical legacies, the role of diverse ethnic groups that have contributed in various ways to Bangkok, and the countryâs fractious politics. The book is also a me...