Former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, loved and loathed across his homeland, makes for a fascinating target of former Los Angeles Times columnist Tom Plate’s professional – and always gracious, although sometimes fawning – curiosity. Unsurprisingly, Conversations With Thaksin: From Exile to Deliverance – Thailand’s Populist Tycoon Tells His Story is unavailable in the kingdom, though not yet subject to an official ban.