and political scientist Giles Ungphakorn reviewed the book for Prachatai online newspaper (his brother, Jon Ungpakorn was the Secretary General of the foundation that ran the online newspaper). In his review, he praised the book for its evidence-backed analysis while disagreeing with some major points in the book. He stated that Handley underestimated the historical importance of the popular movement in Thailand, for instance by writing that the 1932 revolution was led by a foreign educated elite that was not accompanied by a popular uprising among the rural population. Giles noted that this view was different from that of political scientist Nakharin Mekhtrairat, who claimed there was strong pressure within the mainstream Thai society of the time to overthrow the absolute monarchy. Giles also said that the book's analysis of the weakening of the Thai military dictatorship during the late 1970s overemphasized the importance of Bhumibol, Army Commander Krit Srivara, and Richard Nixon's diplomacy with Communist China, while not placing enough importance on the role of students and workers. Giles stated that Handley's view that dictator Sarit Thanarat was a tool for King Bhumibol was not that of political scientist Thak Chaloemtiarana, who felt the opposite was true: Sarit used King Bhumibol as a tool to increase his own credibility. Publication history The book was commercially successful. By October 2006, the book went through three printings. Although the book was banned in Thailand, samizdat photocopies of the book were available for sale in the Tha Phrachan area of Bangkok. Unauthorized translations of sections of the book appeared on several websites, although some sites were blocked by censors. See also Censorship in Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej William Stevenson Monarchy of Thailand Lese majeste References Further reading Paul Handley's response to Grant Evans' September 2006 book review in the Far Eastern Economic Review Preface and Introduction of the book, Adobe Acrobat format, Yale University Press Also published in Spanish translation. 2006 non-fiction books Biographies about politicians Biographies about royalty Unauthorized biographies Bhumibol Adulyadej American biographies Yale University Press books Censorship in Thailand Controversies in Thailand 2006 in Thailand Censored books