A Broad Abroad in Thailand: An Expat's Misadventures in the Land of Smiles    by Dodie Cross Order:  USA  Can CrossRoads, 2007 (2007) Softcover     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth If you're in the market for a good laugh, I heartily recommend A Broad Abroad in Thailand by Dodie Cross, newly wed and an expat in Thailand. She writes of adjusting to a new culture (the chapter on the Eastern Squat Toilet had me laughing uncontrollably). Cross calls Thailand The Land of Smiles, filled with tiny people willing to oblige. Happy with their lives and the future that surely awaits them in the hereafter. Her problems don't center on her change in lifestyle. She embraces Thailand with great pleasure. Her new husband's unrealistic sex drive becomes physically punishing. Her accounts of finding relief from a full bladder in the most inaccessible of spots would endear her to any one of us who has suffered through the same problem. A Thai doctor performs bladder surgery in an unauthorized procedure which necessitates a quick trip back to the States. An accident on a terrifyingly busy highway gives her a new outlook on life. The hardest hurdle is her husband's boss and his wife, a control freak of the highest order. Believe me, just reading of that woman sure could raise the blood pressure and fan the urge to kill. Cross writes of her life in Thailand with skill and wit. Even in her most traumatic moments, she manages to massage her funny bone. She has written a book to entertain in those moments when readers' lives need a pick-me-up. Her escapades are not only comic at times, but she also bares her soul. We all have troublesome moments and she is the proof that we can overcome them. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Travel books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews