Standard Deviations

May 13, 2002
In the Asian economic surge of the late 1980s, deputy editor of Time Asia
Greenfeld leaves his New York home in search of "a big life," as he calls it, of sex, drugs and a sense of purpose. But a funny thing happens on the way to fulfillment for this Asian-American Gen-Xer: in a small city near Tokyo, he lands an English-teaching job he detests and numbs his dissatisfaction with narcotic cough syrup. On a retreat for English teachers, he awakens from a drug-induced nap in the hot baths feeling cleansed, and musters the charm to pick up an Australian woman. Romance ensues, and it seems that Asia may be good for our hero after all. Greenfeld, though, looks his gift horse in the mouth—as well as every other orifice—and his book rapidly becomes a down-and-outer's tour of the bleakest side of Asia, replete with transsexual Thai hookers, con-man Indian swamis and lots of heroin and temporary intimacies. Greenfeld (Speed Tribes: Days and Nights with Japan's Next Generation), an excellent wordsmith, describes it all with cool precision: he's able to evoke a pristine beach, a dangerous rickshaw race or oral sex with a few direct sentences. But unlike Hunter S. Thompson or Henry Miller, he never seems to enjoy his transgressions. Ultimately, the book doesn't coalesce, despite Greenfeld's efforts to parallel his decline toward heroin addiction with the Asian economy's free fall. He offers unique glimpses into Asia and apparently frank self-revelation, but never fleshes out either theme. This title is to the reader what Asia was to Greenfeld: frequently entertaining, occasionally shocking, but a little short of substance. (On sale July 2)Forecast:This could be sold to a hip youth market; anyone over the age of 30 will find it rather self-indulgent.

June 1, 2002
The deputy editor of Time Asia and author of Speed Tribes: Days and Nights with Japan's Next Generation, Greenfeld has written an unusual travel memoir that details his meanderings in the major cities of Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, India, and Nepal during the 1980s and 1990s. The reader is spared historical and cultural background and is instead invited to delight in adolescent descriptions of Greenfeld's sexual pursuits and self-exploration. Apparently, commentary or perceptions on the diverse Asian economic and political tapestry would have been too enlightening, so instead he is more inclined to extol the stupefying array of intoxicants, from alcohol to codeine-laced cough syrup, that he ingested to get high throughout his tour. This hedonistic, pseudo-bohemian journey could have been informative and instructive were it not so self-indulgent. An optional purchase. Lonnie Weatherby, McGill Univ Lib., Montreal

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2002
Karl Taro Greenfeld's memoir brings to light an Asia far from kowtowing geishas and blossoming cherry trees. His story takes the reader inside the party circuit, a playground of sex, drugs, music, and designer clothes. After a stagnant stint in New York trying to get his writing career off the ground, his mother, a Japanese national, arranged for him to teach English in Japan. He quickly found himself running in the fast lane, moving with an elite group of people whose main aim was to look for action in Japan, Thailand, Laos, and any place in Asia where the scene was hip and exciting. As Greenfield's writing career progressed, his success served to disguise his increased dependence on narcotic euphoria. He is brutally honest about the seedy underbelly of Asian counterculture and his timely emancipation from its clutches. He unabashedly shares the experiences of a youth that reaches far beyond the average person's wildest dreams. Greenfeld, the editor of " Times Asia," resides in Hong Kong.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)