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Standard Deviations: Growing Up and Coming Down in the New Asia
“I was twenty-three and I had set off for Asia to become a writer, intrigued by lurid tales of booms, busts, drugs, sex, violence, magic. There was a wicked sorcery in Asia, in the economic profligacy of the early nineties, in the way financiers and businessmen took a rapidly wiring and developing continent and looted billions, like a titanic parlor trick converting all that wealth into abandoned office complexes and half-completed shopping malls. . . . I wanted it all—the money, the sex, the drugs. And to this day I believe that if I am honest with myself, despite all I have learned the hard way over the past decade, I would still want it all again, the fucking and the getting loaded and the scheming to get enough money to pay for that life.”
In the late 1980s, not long out of college, Karl Taro Greenfeld found himself stranded in New York, a failed writer before his career had even begun. His Jewish-American father angrily cut off support; his Japanese mother suggested he go to Japan to teach English. He did, accepting a job with no more promise than he’d had before. But he stayed in Asia for the next several years, working his way through a series of journalistic posts, watching a culture erupt before his eyes and facing his own demons. Through a series of vividly imagistic stories that range from the rigidly journalistic to the deeply intimate, Standard Deviations recounts Greenfeld’s experiences—both professional and personal—during Asia’s wild ride at the end of the twentieth century. Whether drinking Japanese cough syrup to get high with other Western expatriates, visiting a free-sex ashram in Bombay, or watching a former high school pal self-destruct as an equity analyst in Jakarta, Greenfeld evokes the spirit of a continent in flux at an explosive “bubble” economy’s end—and a man confronting his own identity and aspirations.
Raunchy, insightful, eloquent and moving, Standard Deviations is an uncompromising work of cultural observation and self-exploration.
From the Hardcover edition.
In the late 1980s, not long out of college, Karl Taro Greenfeld found himself stranded in New York, a failed writer before his career had even begun. His Jewish-American father angrily cut off support; his Japanese mother suggested he go to Japan to teach English. He did, accepting a job with no more promise than he’d had before. But he stayed in Asia for the next several years, working his way through a series of journalistic posts, watching a culture erupt before his eyes and facing his own demons. Through a series of vividly imagistic stories that range from the rigidly journalistic to the deeply intimate, Standard Deviations recounts Greenfeld’s experiences—both professional and personal—during Asia’s wild ride at the end of the twentieth century. Whether drinking Japanese cough syrup to get high with other Western expatriates, visiting a free-sex ashram in Bombay, or watching a former high school pal self-destruct as an equity analyst in Jakarta, Greenfeld evokes the spirit of a continent in flux at an explosive “bubble” economy’s end—and a man confronting his own identity and aspirations.
Raunchy, insightful, eloquent and moving, Standard Deviations is an uncompromising work of cultural observation and self-exploration.
From the Hardcover edition.
272 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 2002
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About the author
Karl Taro Greenfeld
26 books84 followersI'm the author of six books, including the recent novel Triburbia, the story collection NowTrends, the memoir Boy Alone and the Japanese youth culture collection Speed Tribes
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 16, 2024
After reading the passage quoted below in the introduction, I was hooked, and it didn't even matter what the rest of the book was like. Standard Deviations lives up to it's subtitle: Growing Up and Coming Down in the New Asia. Greenfeld goes from bored English teacher in Japan, to jounalist hanging out with glamouros people, to drug addict, to 30 smth with perspective. I listened to a 2012 podcast with him recently in which he said that these stories written in the 80s and 90s could have never passed for journalism in the internet age with all its fact checking. This is more creative non-fiction, whatever that might be.
"There was a wicked sorcery in Asia, in the economic profligacy of the early nineties, in the way financiers and businessmen took a rapidly wiring and developing continent and looted billions, like a titanic parlor trick converting all that wealth into abandoned office complexes and half-completed shopping malls. There was sexual magic, the licentious cousin of that fiscal corruption, in the fleshpots where girls and boys stood behind glass partitions with numbers pinned to their G-strings; in the way you could pick up a fellow traveler in Bangkok or Manila and spend a few nights together before parting, maybe forever or maybe to run into each other again at a different guest house, on another island, in a strange new nightclub.
Whatever defenses these girls may have carefully fostered in their native Stuttgarts or Vancouvers were easily breached by salvos of tropical heat and dope. And there was narcotic alchemy, in the illicit drugs so easily grown and refined in the arid highlands and fecund jungles and in the licit pills and powders dispensed by chemists in the squalorous coastal cities. I wanted it all—the money, the sex, the drugs. And to this day I believe that if I am honest with myself, despite all I have learned the hard way over the past decade, I would still want it all again, the fucking and the getting loaded and the scheming to get enough money to pay for that life. "
"There was a wicked sorcery in Asia, in the economic profligacy of the early nineties, in the way financiers and businessmen took a rapidly wiring and developing continent and looted billions, like a titanic parlor trick converting all that wealth into abandoned office complexes and half-completed shopping malls. There was sexual magic, the licentious cousin of that fiscal corruption, in the fleshpots where girls and boys stood behind glass partitions with numbers pinned to their G-strings; in the way you could pick up a fellow traveler in Bangkok or Manila and spend a few nights together before parting, maybe forever or maybe to run into each other again at a different guest house, on another island, in a strange new nightclub.
Whatever defenses these girls may have carefully fostered in their native Stuttgarts or Vancouvers were easily breached by salvos of tropical heat and dope. And there was narcotic alchemy, in the illicit drugs so easily grown and refined in the arid highlands and fecund jungles and in the licit pills and powders dispensed by chemists in the squalorous coastal cities. I wanted it all—the money, the sex, the drugs. And to this day I believe that if I am honest with myself, despite all I have learned the hard way over the past decade, I would still want it all again, the fucking and the getting loaded and the scheming to get enough money to pay for that life. "
September 8, 2022
Kind of sad not a lot of people have read his work. A very gritty - maybe too gritty/obscene book on drugs and sex and everything in between in Asia. That being said, as someone who’s lived in/visited these places a lot, it’s definitely a different perspective on the culture I saw. An Asian iteration of Hunter S. Thompson and I’m here for it.
November 8, 2012
One may think this book is stereotypical...when you think about the exotic life of Asia it come to mind: drugs, prostitution, criminality, striking differences between the unbelievable poverty of the poor and the great luxury of does being the favorites of the ruling class; but well, sometimes stereotypes are not far from the truth!
Not to mention the fascination this 'easy life' has on the youth, but the final message is strong: 'you must turn you back and leave if you really want A LIFE'!
Not to mention the fascination this 'easy life' has on the youth, but the final message is strong: 'you must turn you back and leave if you really want A LIFE'!
June 8, 2015
sometimes it's fun to read a book where the protagonist is a jerk. there's a certain amount of pleasure to be derived from loathing someone, especially if their escapades are salacious. karl taro greenfield, whose real-life adventures in asia are detailed in this memoir, is an instantly dislikeable fellow. he's a spoiled half-asian rich kid from new york whose obsession with coolness and disdain for anyone who doesn't meet his exacting standards of coolness ooze from every page. greenfield starts off the book as an english teacher in japan, but he very quickly packs in it, moving into freelance journalism and devoting himself primarily to the pursuit of sex, drugs and hedonistic travel experiences. (it's not this pursuit that makes me dislike him, as i share it to a certain extent; it's just that he's so honest about his shallowness and fixation on appearances that you can't help but be repelled.)
greenfield's last book, "speed tribes", was an excellent pop-treatment of the underbelly of japan-- speed freaks, biker gangs, etc. standard deviations is in a similar vein, but more personal. in theory greenfield travels around thailand, india, japan, etc. looking for some kind of enlightenment, but in reality (and he is at least upfront about this) his travels are an attempt to run with the cool kids-- the tribes of disaffected rich europeans who treat asia as their personal playground, jetting from raves in malaysia to the beaches of goa with disaffected ease. i am a sucker for real life stories of drugs, debauchery, sex and mayhem, and "deviations" fits the bill. definitely not your standard asia travelogue, and worth picking up if only to shake your fist periodically and go "oooh! i hate him so!"
greenfield's last book, "speed tribes", was an excellent pop-treatment of the underbelly of japan-- speed freaks, biker gangs, etc. standard deviations is in a similar vein, but more personal. in theory greenfield travels around thailand, india, japan, etc. looking for some kind of enlightenment, but in reality (and he is at least upfront about this) his travels are an attempt to run with the cool kids-- the tribes of disaffected rich europeans who treat asia as their personal playground, jetting from raves in malaysia to the beaches of goa with disaffected ease. i am a sucker for real life stories of drugs, debauchery, sex and mayhem, and "deviations" fits the bill. definitely not your standard asia travelogue, and worth picking up if only to shake your fist periodically and go "oooh! i hate him so!"
May 24, 2009
Reading about the drug fuelled romp through Asia might not seem like anyone's ideal reading, but at its heart is the disaffection and hollowness that comes with it. While at the start the author does not portray himself in the best light, it is a very honest portrayal and within it we can recognise elements of our own hopes, fears and desires. Some of it is uncomfortable reading, some distateful, but the self admission of his battle with drugs and a lifestyle that encourages it garners some sympathy and the change within himself as the book progresses is totally redeeming.
It is a very well written, anecdotal account of his own and others lives in the 80s and 90s when Asia was booming and drifting that circuit was what it was all about. I am now very keen to continue reading more of his work.
It is a very well written, anecdotal account of his own and others lives in the 80s and 90s when Asia was booming and drifting that circuit was what it was all about. I am now very keen to continue reading more of his work.
August 21, 2009
Absolutely pegs certain moments and scenes in backpacker asia, 1990s and early 2000s.
September 26, 2023
A privileged Gen X nepo-baby living in NYC in the early 1990s gets cut off financially from his famous author Father (his Mother is also a famous author who subsequently becomes his financial parachute, sending him money throughout his time overseas). Nothing wrong with that, but the author has subsequently stated in interviews that he doesn't owe any of his success to nepotism. I guess he's forgotten early on in the book when he recalls how his Mother secured him his first writing job, the author had no journalistic experience of course, at a Tokyo newspaper by using her own personal connections to pull some strings...?
Anyway. The author leaves NYC after his Father cuts him off and first works as an English teacher in a boring, dull suburb just outside of Tokyo. The rest of the story is about his journey from being a depressed ESL teacher to failing upwards into the Tokyo newspaper job his Mother arranges for him, to then leaving that behind and funding his travels throughout 1990s Asia by becoming a content writer for Airline magazines (the author eventually went on to become the editor for Time Asia and Sports Illustrated in the 2000s). Throughout the book, he chronicles his travels to lush tropical islands in Thailand (at the turning point, when they were still unspoiled, right before they became over-commercialized tourist traps as they are today), India (where the author carries out his version of the whole generic Gen X basic "Eat Pray Love" trope of "finding himself" through religious gurus and Ashram cults) and other locations throughout Asia. About midway through, he becomes addicted to a cocktail of different kinds of drugs and realises what had initially started as an exciting life journey and genuine venture in search of personal discovery as a human has morphed into a severe drug addiction and unrelenting pointlessness. The author eventually finds himself adrift in a rapidly changing Asia with a drug addiction and no direction in life. Unfortunately, I personally have seen many Westerners in Asia end up like the author does. To his credit, he obviously managed to find his way out of that part of his life, and the author now works as a successful screenwriter.
Funnily enough, my favourite chapter was actually not a segment taken from the author's life but actually about a friend of his working in finance in Jakarta during the 1990s Asia boom. Having lived in Jakarta myself, I found the writing spot on in its description of life in the city, and the whole story about his friend navigating life as a bule in the big durian curiously poignant (I won't spoil it). I was actually craving more and would have loved to hear about the author's own time spent in Jakarta.
On one hand, I hated this book. The author comes off as a narcissistic asshole at the best of times. There is a rampant amount of outdated misogyny throughout; however, having been an expat living in Asia myself and having seen how a lot of other men (such as the author) view women in this part of the world, I actually respect the author in a way for at least not holding anything back and painting the absolute truth of how a lot of male farang, bule, gweilo, gaijin, etc carry on when they live in Asia.
On the other hand, this book is a fascinating read, and some of the chapters hit incredibly close to home. In one of the chapters, we meet a character living the current "digital nomad" trend ie working remotely from a laptop overseas two decades before it ever became a proper "thing".
The fact that the author himself was basically a digital nomad (a content writer for Airline magazines) two decades before the movement became a real bonafide lifestyle movement is fascinating, and I believe current digital nomads would actually get a lot out of reading this book in that regard and would be able to relate to the author's lifestyle a lot retrospectively. I'm actually surprised this book isn't more widely known within that community.
I've never been a digital nomad, but still, as an expat in Asia, this was a really interesting read. And despite it being a product of the 1990s, parts of it are still strangely relevant in 2023. I have met other Westerners like the author living in this region many times who have a similar story to his.
I wish the author had arranged the book in a more chronological manner (it jumps around a little bit to different time periods), though it is still easy to follow, and I feel he could have spent more time writing about other locations that he visited such as Jakarta, Hong Kong, etc.
All in all, if you're an expat, digital nomad/remote worker, or even a tourist venturing to Asia, I recommend this for a glimpse behind the curtain at the more seedier sides of this part of the world. Granted you're okay with some smut and outdated misogyny. The book is definitely outdated in 2023, but I still believe it's worth a read if you have a special interest in this region of the world.
3 out of 5
Anyway. The author leaves NYC after his Father cuts him off and first works as an English teacher in a boring, dull suburb just outside of Tokyo. The rest of the story is about his journey from being a depressed ESL teacher to failing upwards into the Tokyo newspaper job his Mother arranges for him, to then leaving that behind and funding his travels throughout 1990s Asia by becoming a content writer for Airline magazines (the author eventually went on to become the editor for Time Asia and Sports Illustrated in the 2000s). Throughout the book, he chronicles his travels to lush tropical islands in Thailand (at the turning point, when they were still unspoiled, right before they became over-commercialized tourist traps as they are today), India (where the author carries out his version of the whole generic Gen X basic "Eat Pray Love" trope of "finding himself" through religious gurus and Ashram cults) and other locations throughout Asia. About midway through, he becomes addicted to a cocktail of different kinds of drugs and realises what had initially started as an exciting life journey and genuine venture in search of personal discovery as a human has morphed into a severe drug addiction and unrelenting pointlessness. The author eventually finds himself adrift in a rapidly changing Asia with a drug addiction and no direction in life. Unfortunately, I personally have seen many Westerners in Asia end up like the author does. To his credit, he obviously managed to find his way out of that part of his life, and the author now works as a successful screenwriter.
Funnily enough, my favourite chapter was actually not a segment taken from the author's life but actually about a friend of his working in finance in Jakarta during the 1990s Asia boom. Having lived in Jakarta myself, I found the writing spot on in its description of life in the city, and the whole story about his friend navigating life as a bule in the big durian curiously poignant (I won't spoil it). I was actually craving more and would have loved to hear about the author's own time spent in Jakarta.
On one hand, I hated this book. The author comes off as a narcissistic asshole at the best of times. There is a rampant amount of outdated misogyny throughout; however, having been an expat living in Asia myself and having seen how a lot of other men (such as the author) view women in this part of the world, I actually respect the author in a way for at least not holding anything back and painting the absolute truth of how a lot of male farang, bule, gweilo, gaijin, etc carry on when they live in Asia.
On the other hand, this book is a fascinating read, and some of the chapters hit incredibly close to home. In one of the chapters, we meet a character living the current "digital nomad" trend ie working remotely from a laptop overseas two decades before it ever became a proper "thing".
The fact that the author himself was basically a digital nomad (a content writer for Airline magazines) two decades before the movement became a real bonafide lifestyle movement is fascinating, and I believe current digital nomads would actually get a lot out of reading this book in that regard and would be able to relate to the author's lifestyle a lot retrospectively. I'm actually surprised this book isn't more widely known within that community.
I've never been a digital nomad, but still, as an expat in Asia, this was a really interesting read. And despite it being a product of the 1990s, parts of it are still strangely relevant in 2023. I have met other Westerners like the author living in this region many times who have a similar story to his.
I wish the author had arranged the book in a more chronological manner (it jumps around a little bit to different time periods), though it is still easy to follow, and I feel he could have spent more time writing about other locations that he visited such as Jakarta, Hong Kong, etc.
All in all, if you're an expat, digital nomad/remote worker, or even a tourist venturing to Asia, I recommend this for a glimpse behind the curtain at the more seedier sides of this part of the world. Granted you're okay with some smut and outdated misogyny. The book is definitely outdated in 2023, but I still believe it's worth a read if you have a special interest in this region of the world.
3 out of 5
July 28, 2011
I've only wasted my time reading this book! It was just about a crap story about taking drugs, prostitution and a culture shock in a Southeast Asian countries.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews