Rating: 
Summary: The Being Determines The Consciousness
Review: .. i travelled most parts of the world , have never been to cambodia (bought the book in bangkok) and was not shocked at all - simply because its more or less exactly "same same but different" (thai proverb) all over the "third world". some of the reviewers , who seem to think that their moral compass is solid as a rock are either naive or hypocrites. the author himself shows his developement from beeing the first to the second and deserves our gratitude for his contribution to the enlightment of our darkness-welcoming age...!
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Summary: Great coverage on Cambodia's dark side but context needed
Review: A book that delves into what other writers prefer not to discuss which is the dark side of Cambodia from an ex-pat's perspective. Having been to Cambodia numerous times, what he writes about is very much true. The contradictions of horror and beauty, gentleness and brutality, love and exploitation do exist in that battered country. Yes the book does focus on the lurid and sensational but it does capture the surreal quality of Cambodia that makes it magical in both a light and dark sense.Cambodia and the people within it fail to be easily classified as being good or evil. There's a dark side that lurks in us all but Amit to his credit can see the positive within the people he writes about. This is not the book to learn about why these things are but its a fairly fun read about what is being hailed as the 90's Casablanca-Phnom Penh. As unique as his book is, there is still much about Phnom Penh that he does not capture or discuss but at least he makes an attempt to describe the on-the-edge lifestyle of what draws westerners into the country. What he does lack is a perspective on what local Cambodians and Vietnamese think but that would be a different book entirely. Cambodia is my favorite country and aside from the picture photography books of Angkor Wat and the people of Phnom Penh, few books seems to even come close to the impressionsitic nuances of what makes the Country and its people so magical (and that includes the westerners, khmers, and the vietnamese). What he writes about is not hyperbole or fiction but in his narrow focus is definitely biased in a good sense. I didn't want a dry clinical account but a depiction of the people and events that have created a community that both he and I find fascinating.
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Summary: Strange
Review: Amit Gilboa's "Off the Rails" delivers a ... good titillating read, while telling a story of a motley group of derelict losers, who like rudderless ships, drift around in a "fog" of drug & sex induced euphoria. The true life characters in Gilboa's book, having lost their moral compass long before reaching Phnom Penh, wallow in their depraved hedonistic excess -- then wire home for money -- much the same as they would do, if they were in Europe of America (nothing new here, right?) I must unfortunately echo a comment of another reader, who brought up the possibility of Gilboa not being very "welcome" around Phnom Penh these days. His book however, seems to be doing quite well... strange, huh? Being an author myself, I salute Amit Gilboa for writing a very successful and controversial little book of modern day depravity, in a beautiful land which is still emerging from the horrors of Pol Pot as well as from UNTAC. Nicolas Merriweather<
Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating book which shouldn't be misinterpreted
Review: As most of the other reviews listed already reveal, "Off the rails in Phnom Penh" is an excellent book which describes and analysis the expats life in the capital of Cambodia in a brilliant way. The most important reason for that is, that Amit Gilboa doesn't watch the scene in a distant and theoretic way, but takes part for himself. Therefore this book is written very personally and this makes the reader to get a very genuine even intimate imagination of what is really going on. The often simple and uncomplicated writing style also contibutes to this aspect.
The main thing I want to make clear, however, is that this book is very likely to be misunderstood. If the reader doesn't know anything about South East Asia and especially Cambodia, he or she will probable get a totally wrong view about this really beautiful country and its people in particular. You must never forget that the book describes the way, only a part of the expatriates live. Their lives are dominated by guns girls and ganja and the people who make their living with any of these, are usually not considered to be average citizens and honourable people. The thing I want to point out is, that after reading this book, the uninformed reader will have the very impression, that in Cambodia everyone is running around with his guns shooting and that everywhere you are stumbling in brothels for 2$ "shags" with fourteen year olds. Although the book provides some minor hints, that the protagonists are only a special kind of expats, the prevailing impression, the reader gets is that the whole cambodian life and its society is about guns girls and ganja and this is not true!!
The purpose of my writing is not to blame the book or to deny the facts. Reading this book was great. I have rarely enjoyed reading a book so much. When you have been to Cambodia you know how life is going on there and how the friendly the Khmer people are. Besides you know how it is like in Phnom Penh and that Phnom Penh and the rest of Cambodia are completely different. You know at least something about the countries horrible past and how the people are still struggling to live with these haunting memories.
So being well informed about the situation in Cambodia and especially in Phnom Penh, reading this book is great and I can only recommend it to everyone interested in this amazing country. But without all these insights you are overwhelmed by so many unfamiliar problems and facts, that you simply will get a very wrong impression of Cambodia and its people which they do not deserve at all.
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Summary: Wild Wild East For Isolated Expats
Review: Geographical headline bias to boot, this is a fascinating look into this world of Phom Penh through the eyes of a recurring visitor, who became intimate with westerners living there. It's not just a gonzo journal. The author researched past, recent, and current Khmer history and politics, as well as how things really work in the capital of Cambodia politically, socially, and culturally. His insights are only of his experiences with expats in their own islolated community, who are living in their own exclusive world. (Again), This is not a book about Phnom Penh nor Cambodia, but the lives and experiences and attitudes of some western expats living there. Most of his insights are from these people who've chosen to live in Phnom Pehn. Many stories pique further interest, while others bring thoughts of danger and loathing of the type of people who go and stay in this city for long periods of time. In this context, it is very insightful and somewhat balanced. The author did take time to write in a serious attempt to note his experiences there. There have been claims of exagerration by some after the release of this piece. This can't be proven either way. Many expats in Phnom Pehn are unhappy to have been written about and claim to have been quoted without their permission, and the author I am told is not able to return because of some of the anger caused over this book. Some of the more undesirable elements of the world will no doubt come to Cambodia after reading this book. As of November 2002, there are some writers in Saigon, trying to write about similar things (attempting to duplicate Amit Gilboa) that go on in Saigon, although they are in no way in comparison to what life is like in Phnom Penh. This is an interesting look at the world and the people who choose to live in Phnom Pehn.
Rating: 
Summary: It's just wrong
Review: I just read this book and I find it really, really disturbing. I have just been on a year out of school and I read this book before I travelled to Cambodia. I'll quote the author if thats all okay. He describes his own visit to a brothel area where, I think, the prostitutes are actually not free to leave. "First of all I will only buy oral sex, as if that is somehow less culpable than full intercourse" Thats on page 106, about half way down the page. "With my curiosity and excitement growing, I find an attractive girl who looks about 19. ......... She leads me to a small room........ The experience is most memorable for the incredible beauty of the face and body of this young woman. It is also memorable for the complete lack of excitement or pleasure on her part". That's on page 108. I think the guy that wrote this is wrong. Would a person who wrote a book about a murderer need to murder someone to understand the stuff they are writing about? I wonder how that poor girl felt at being part of the author's experiment. If she only knew. He writes on page 110 "The truth is, I now have a much clearer understanding of these guy's attachment to Cambodia." Well.... I don't know why the author had to abuse the girl to get the understanding. Its selfish. Its just seems like he is a hypocrite. My uncle was a journalist before he retired. I showed him this book and it made him really mad. He says the writer can't be at all experienced or he would never do that. He said he thinks that it is dishonest. I loved Cambodia and after I finish my courses I want to go and work there. When I see people reading this book it makes me want to cry because it just seems to exploit the problems of a beautiful country for cheap thrills. And I guess the guy has made some big money too. It's just wrong.
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Summary: A trip into the surreal...
Review: I must admit, I have not read allot of books in my life, but found this one hard to put down. At the time, Amit Gilboa was a journalist who found himself squatting in Cambodia, waiting for his visa to Vietnam to be renewed. His stay in Phnom Penh turned into an adventure of its own, and this book is a result of those experiences. Amit exposes the ugly underbelly of Phnom Penh, where socially inept men find themselves in a place where they have the upper hand. The stories he tells are funny, twisted, and insane. Along the way Gilboa gives us a history lesson on Cambodia and its people. A very entertaining read!
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Summary: Shocking and eye opening
Review: I read Off the Rails in Phnom Penh (great title!) a few years ago but was reminded of it recently. And I have to say that after a few years the images exposed between these covers stayed with me. The antics Amit's expat subjects engage in are at once disgusting and riveting. I had a particularly hard time reading the sex chapter. I just never really believed people like that existed. Or if they did it was someplace wayyyy over there. Amit brings them up close and personal and shines a light on the inhumanity of Man. At the same time though he portrays the people of Cambodia and the country as one of great beauty and profound history. I recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: You'll love it.
Review: If you're even slightly intrigued with SE Asia, you'll dig this book. It's easy to read, and you won't want to put it down. You will undoubtedly be both shocked and sorrowed at the detailed accounts of Phnom Penh's lawlessness and filthy goings-on. Though I personally did not feel that the author, Amit Gilboa, took a high moral tone in writing this book, I see others did. I felt that given his surroundings and the utterly perverted stories to which he was made privy on an almost daily basis, he managed to remain very objective in his writing. The big point of this book is this: Atrocities and human rights violations that are all but unthinkable in most Western countries are commonplace in Cambodia. Anyway, just read it. You won't be disappointed.
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Summary: I Laughed out Loud
Review: If you've traveled through SE Asia and find amusement in those expats who have been on the road a bit too long, marveling at their ability to lead lives without a moral compass or care in the world, this book is for you. Gilboa weaves funny and well-written accounts of expats in Phnom Penh whom many would regard as having "lost it" --accustomed to recreational heroin use, $2 prostitutes and daily bribery. Many of them cannot readjust back to their old lives in the west, a feeling many a traveler can relate to after having been to such developing places as Cambodia. The book reinforces the saying that truth is stranger (and I would add amusing) than fiction. Gilboa also describes accurately the comic absurdity and pathetic state that Cambodia is today -- politically and day-to-day life. Overall a hilarious, lighthearted look at the "wild west" mentality of modern Phnom Penh, with an informing overview of Cambodia's modern political history. One last note: If you've (a) never been to a developing country such as Cambodia and (b) are scared by drug use and prostitution, you may find this book more disturbing than amusing.
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