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A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants
by
Jaed Coffin
Six years ago at the age of twenty-one, Jaed Muncharoen Coffin, a half-Thai American man, left New England's privileged Middlebury College to be ordained as a Buddhist monk in his mother's native village of Panomsarakram--thus fulfilling a familial obligation. While addressing the notions of displacement, ethnic identity, and cultural belonging, A Chant to Soothe Wild Elep...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
January 8th 2008
by Da Capo Press
(first published January 7th 2008)
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A memoir about a young man from Maine (Jaed Coffin)who feels torn between the culture of his father (American) and his mother (Thai). While in his third year studying philosophy at Middlebury college he decides to fulfill a family honor and return to his mother's village in Thailand and become a monk for the summer. (I was unaware that deciding a monk could be such a short term commitment). His hopes of reaching some inner enlightenment are often squelched by the routine and boredom he feels ...more
So there I was confronted by the first poem of this book and I had not a dam idea what the hell it was about. That should had been my first warning. But it was my first college assignment so I figure I have to stomached it! I went on to the first page and six pages later I was in one of the best naps of my life, so if you want to sleep or for some strange reason like to be bored and disappointed at the same time… then my friend this is the book for you! I could not related to the guy and for a ...more
I always try to read a books by writers who will be speaking at upcoming conferences. I will see Jaed Coffin in August, so I wanted to get a "heads up" on what he writes.
This book is a memoir of the author's time in Thailand as a monk. His American father and Thai mother met in Thailand during the Vietnam War.
The author wanted to complete a time-honored Thai tradition of entering the temple and becoming a monk. Some men become monks for their entire lives...more
This book is a memoir of the author's time in Thailand as a monk. His American father and Thai mother met in Thailand during the Vietnam War.
The author wanted to complete a time-honored Thai tradition of entering the temple and becoming a monk. Some men become monks for their entire lives...more
A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants – Jaed Coffin
1 star
Such a great title and such a disappointment. This is a memoir by a Thai-American college student who takes a semester off to return to his mother’s village in Thailand to become a Buddhist monk. It seemed that this might be a story of a young person taking a bold step to find peace with his mixed heritage. I found I was not impressed with this quest or with the author’s stilted writing style. I became very annoyed with...more
This book was disappointing. It had a promising start: a college-aged guy sets out for Thailand to become a Buddhist monk and, essentially, to figure out who he is. His mother is Thai, his father was an American Vietnam War soldier. He returns to his mother's village, and is ordained as a monk. All of the expected cultural and language confusion ensues, as well as quite a lot of spiritual confusion.
The big problem here is that in a memoir like this, the reader is usually waiting for...more
The big problem here is that in a memoir like this, the reader is usually waiting for...more
This is a memoir written by Jaed Coffin, a half-Thai/half-white boy growing up in Brunswick, Maine, who decides to return to his mother's village in Thailand to study as a monk. Many Thai men spend a period of their lives at a Buddhist temple. Some stay for a couple weeks, others stay for years. Coffin spends one summer hoping to become more Thai, and to somehow find answers to the questions about who he is and where he belongs. This book is roughly 200 pages, but I felt it could have been so m...more
This book should really be a 3.5. It was a lovely and pleasant surprise. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Thailand or Buddhism. But it is also a coming of age story of a young man trying to root himself. Its skillful descriptions and spare prose drew me in -- although I think he could have used more depth in some places. I kept comparing it to Stephen Asma's very different The Gods Drink Whiskey. Coffin is a much gentler and more naive narrator than Asma and less self-concious. ...more
This is great book to read if you want to learn about about someone else experiences. See things from their eyes and how they felt. If your expecting a spiritual book about becoming Buddhist this is not the book for you. This is just a story about a young man trying to find his path in life and coming to an understanding with his heritage. If you have some time to spare and like to read about other peoples experiences this is the book for you.
This memoir showed me a side of Thailand I never really got to know as a missionary. It answered a lot of questions about what it means to become and be a monk. I also thought it was interesting to watch his struggle to find his culture (he's a half Thai raised in America) and his search for the meaning of things. Jaed did a good job of expressing his internal conflict that I think a lot of people face.
A sweet little memoir in which Coffin, half-Caucasian, half-Thai, spends a summer as a Buddhist monk in his mother's home village. Though his explorations of bi-cultural, bi-racial identity are not complex, they will resonate for adolescent and adult readers engaged in (or remembering) this developmental stage. Coffin's writing is descriptive and conveys mood well.
This is a beautiful, well-written story of a young American college student who is ethnically Thai. He decides to become a monk as part of an independent study on religion and this book is about that experience. It's a comedic, insightful and poignant study of "east meets west" and the search for the Buddha...
Jaed Coffin, the son of a Thai nurse and and US serviceman, at 21 decides to leave Middlebury College to return to his mother's village in Thailand and become a Buddhist monk. The writing is quite nice, and the subject matter is fascinating. Still, all in all, I would have welcomed a bit more insight, a bit more growth, and a bit more understanding of his own position of privilege in the world in what has been described as a coming of age story. Coffin names Jack London, Ernest Heminway and Ja...more
This is a memoir about a half-Thai, half-white guy from Brunswick, Maine who went back to his mother's Thai village to be a monk for a few months. I heard him do a reading at my writers' conference. His prose takes after Hemingway and the story has some beautiful moments. It's a pretty quick read.
I met the author, Jaed Coffin. He actually taught me how to write. He's fantastic, but the book wasn't my favorite. Don't get me wrong, I think it's well written and it has potential, in fact, I'm sure that some people LOVE it. But it wasn't exactly my thing. He'll write more, I think.
A wonderful personal memoir from a great young writer - deeply touching autobiography with a unique perspective on being of 2 cultures. Also, an amazing travelogue to Thailand!
This is a call story without a call. Maybe I'm too sensitive about his use if his faith but it rubbed me the wrong way.
This is the story of one young man's summer trip to his mother's hometown in Thailand to become a monk-for-three-months. The author went to 'find himself', but the only thing he seemed to have discovered was how much longer his shaved eyebrows took to grow back than his shaved head. It is written as a memoir; it might've worked better written as a novel with a point. So much potential, so little reason to pick up this book.
I enjoyed this book because it took me on an adventure that I'd never experience otherwise. I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 because I thought it ended abruptly and was a bit incomplete. Perhaps this is what the author was aiming for, as it is simply a story of a life which is not yet complete. Overall, it was a good read and I feel good that the writer actualized his dream.
Agree with Elizabeth, this book started off OK, but quickly went South. Basically, the kid doesn't know why he wants to become a monk, has no resolution, and still doesn't seem to even after a couple of years of reflection. Frankly I find it amazing that this got published as a full book. There's some life to it as an essay, an editor needed to drop the hammer on this guy.
A boy needs to find himself and understand his heritage. Goes to his mother's Thai village and becomes a monk. Learns a lot about acceptance. For example, the pond in front of the temple often has garbage floating on its surface; the monks leave the garbage there because it is as it is. He travels throughout the valley and mountains, meets many different people.
I had really hoped to see more introspection from the author during his experience as a monk. Perhaps the lesson is that there is no unequivocal answer as to what our mission should be. I do love the honesty of the author and this was an extremely quick read.
Not sure why he went back to America. I liked the inside look into the Thai monestary life - how it is what you make of it. Pretty much the theme of the entire book. Well written, just wish he was a little easier on the American dream.
My amazing friend Jaed wrote this when he was 26 about growing up in Maine and the summer trained to be a Buddhist monk. Wonderful!
Beautifully told coming of age story about rural Thailand and the choices of a young man who is both American and Thai.
Holly
marked it as to-read
Mollie
marked it as to-read
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