Adventures of a Bird-shit Foreigner

by Sulayman X

From the acclaimed author of Bilal's Bread comes this unflinching portrait of an American-Thai young man struggling with his sexual identity.


Isa is the product of a GI from Kansas City and a prostitute mother, and Thai society can be cruel to those not of pure breeding-they are called "bird-shit" foreigners. Tossed out by his family, the struggling gay teen learns to live on the street with a local gang before ultimately finding refuge with a local clergyman and his family. Beautifully written, evocative of setting, here is fiction that truly touches the heart.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, LGBT

209 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Sulayman X is an American who converted to Islam in the early 1990s. He lives overseas for almost two decades and currently works as the editor for a small newspaper in Mississippi. His work frequently deals with the intersection between religion and sexuality. His first book, Bilal's Bread, is a Lambda Award nominee.

Published by DreamSpinner Press, his young adult books "Tears of a Dragon" and "King of Storms" are fantasy genre novels featuring young gay and lesbian characters.

Although no longer a Muslim, Sulayman X remains a spiritual seeker and the Buddhist influences in his work are evident. He also writes murder mysteries and screenplays.

Reviews

[Jon O · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isa is a half and half 15 year old boy in Thailand. He is half and half because he is of a mixed breed. His prostitute mother had to give birth to him because she had gone through too many abortions. She was not sure who his father was, nor was she aware that the father was a Westerner. So, when Isa was born, he lived a cursed life. He was abused and ignored in his grandparents' village because he was not a pure Thai. However, that did not stop some men and boys to take advantage of him sexually.

Eventually, when he could not bear with the sexual abuses any longer as well as lack of care from his grandparents, Isa left his village to seek for his mother in Bangkok. Unfortunately, his mother had left for Denmark with another man. So, Isa's life continued to be in agony, not knowing where to go, until he bumped into Gong and friends, where Isa became a male prostitute. He got into the vices, including sniffing glue and more. He was living a nightmare, until one there he was saved by Ahmad, an Imam, who took pity on him and brought him home to his family. Initially, Ahmad's wife and young sons were not in favour of Isa living there with them, but as days went by, Isa was welcomed into their home.

Just when Isa thought everything was turning up roses, he met an old client, who took advantage of his secret and sexually assaulted him. Betrayed by his feeling, Isa left.

If I had not read Bilal's Bread before reading Adventures of Bird-Shit Adventure, I would have loved this writing by Sulayman X. In Bilal's Bread, I found Sulayman to be honest and brutal. Bilal's Bread was shocking and yet intriguing. Adventures of Bird-Shit Foreigner failed to impress me much. I felt Sulayman X was not writing with his best effort. Too often the story felt shallow.

Another irritating point about the book that it was preaching. Just like in Bilal's Bread, the good points of an Islamic life were brought up. However, in this book, it felt like the book was trying to brainwash the readers. I admit that Islamic values are good, but hey, in the real world, being gay in a Muslim community is not easy. The rejections and hardships are scary. The book failed to deal with that issue.

I was surprised the mother came back. But unfortunately, I failed to see the purpose of including her again. It was as if the book had lost its purpose and was just dragging the length. I was stunned too by the choice of the author to out the school teacher. It did not feel right that Isa had to go through the whole process just to trap the school teacher.

I think I am deciding now to be a big fan of Bilal's Bread, instead of a fan of Sulayman X. The magic in his writing failed to shine in this book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very powerful novel! Very beautifully written - nice primer on the Muslim teachings!

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This extremely powerful book is NOT for your average LGBT teen. Sulayman X is an American who converted to Muslim and has founded the Queer Jihad. There is a definite autobiographical feeling to this book.

This is the story of Isa, whose mother worked in the whore district of Bangkok and whose father is an unknown American GI. Isa, being what is called in Thailand a "half and half" and "bird-shit foreigner", is sent to a rural village with his grandmother and grandfather, who have the same negative feelings and are just as vicious as the members of their community. Isa learns quickly about his attraction to men; he attempts to use it as a way to become a friend to other boys, and also gets raped by his grandfather's employees. Eventually Isa leaves his grandparents' home and goes in search of his mother in Bangkok. And thus begins his adventures.

This book does NOT play games. The descriptions of rape, sodomy, oral sex, prostitution, and other negative sexual acts are rather explicitly described. However, throughout the book are powerful descriptions of emotions -- what happens in the mind of a child who has not experienced love; a child who does not understand what friendship is, who thinks he is deserving of such negative treatment in life. All of these sections take place within the cultural context of Thailand. As a result, the Thailand of 1983 becomes a suffering experience for a child who does not belong -- to anyone, any home, any place, any environment.

I would recommend this book ONLY to very, very mature LGBT readers. To me, the readers should be senior high school or college. I cannot deny, however, how well written this book is; the narrative sections focusing on emotional responses to the action are outstanding.

[Michael Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a long-time resident of Bangkok, most of this book rang very true. The depictions of country life and the 'lost boys' of the street are no exaggerations. There are a couple of plot twists that are a little too good to be true, but it really doesn't detract too much from the story.

This is not an easy read, and at times it's difficult to foresee a happy ending for young Isa. The underlying Muslim subtext may bother some, and at times it's a little too good to be true, but again it didn't detract too much from the book.

I picked this book up when I was in the US for a visit. Oddly, it doesn't appear to be available in Thailand.