Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej, the only king ever born in the United States, came to the throne of his country in 1946 and is now the world's longest-serving monarch. This book tells the unexpected story of his life and 60-year rule: how a Western-raised boy came to be seen by his people as a living Buddha; and how a king widely seen as beneficent and apolitical could in fact be so deeply political, autocratic, and even brutal. Paul Handley provides an extensively researched, factual account of the king's youth and personal development, ascent to the throne, skilful political maneuverings, and attempt to shape Thailand as a Buddhist kingdom. Blasting apart the widely accepted image of the king as egalitarian and virtuous, Handley convincingly portrays an anti-democratic monarch who, together with allies in big business and the corrupt Thai military, has protected a centuries-old, barely-modified feudal dynasty. When at nineteen Bhumibol assumed the throne after the still-unsolved shooting of his brother, the Thai monarchy had been stripped of power and prestige. Over the ensuing decades, Bhumibol became the paramount political actor in the kingdom, crushing critics while attaining high status among his people. The book details this process and depicts Thailand's unique constitutional monarch in the full light of the facts.

Paul M. Handley is a journalist who lived and worked as a foreign correspondent in Asia for more than twenty years, including thirteen in Thailand.

'Little wonder that before Paul Handley no one had really pried into the king's sleeping habits, let alone the state of his marriage or political views. The story he uncovers is fascinating.' - The Economist

'Thailand's reigning monarch has just celebrated his sixty-year jubilee and this is the first serious biography of him. ... It is key to understanding the extraordinary events of the past year. ... For too long, the issue of the monarchy has been the prone elephant that analysts of Thai history and politics have had to treat carefully around. That era should now pass. ... In sum, this is the classic story of an exceptional man recrafting a monarchy against the grain of an era. But with a difference.' - Chris Baker, Asia Sentinel

'[Handley's] biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej succeeds in engrossing the reader with the complex personality of the Thai king and his long and eventful life. ... The chapters on political turbulence in Thailand between 1974-76, and on the impact of the 1997 financial crisis, find Mr Handley at his analytic best. ... Mr Handley also has some important remarks on the uses and abuses of the lese majeste laws in Thailand.' - Grant Evans, Far Eastern Economic Review

'A new and comprehensive history of the Thai modern monarchy...[which] presents a direct counterpoint to years of methodical royal image-making.' - Jane Perlez, The Sunday Telegraph