I was genuinely disappointed by this book given the interesting subject matter and the review posted on Amazon. Beyrer often loses his focus, shifting from discussing the AID epidemic to devoting entire paragraphs to an examination of Thai architecture and the temples of Chiang Mai. I applaud his effort to try to interweave cultural themes, but unfortunately this book reads like a travel guide loosely tied together. While there are some good insights and facts, it seems Beyrer's editors provided him poor guidance to focus his writing.