Only 13: The True Story of Lon - Tapa blanda

Only 13 is the story of a little girl, who while always being the black sheep of the family, never lost her love for her sisters. The relentless attacks by all of her elder family members other than her father, finally forced her to run away. Upon returning from her third escape, she learned that her father--the only one who loved her, had died while looking for her. She was then ordered away from the family's little hut, so she ran off to Bangkok and quickly became involved in the sex-tourism industry. She did anything imaginable in order to make up to her family for her father's death and to make sure that her sisters had enough money for school so that they would never have to do what she did. After a few years in Bangkok, she then worked her way to Pattaya Beach, where she was a star gogo dancer and appeared in Asian girlie magazines and sex-tourism videos. Shortly thereafter, through boyfriends and marriage, she made her way to Switzerland, Germany, Sweden and now lives in England.

Julia Manzanares has served as an English-As-A-Foreign Language/ Intercultural Communication Instructor and Teacher-Trainer for the past 18 years with 12 years spent teaching abroad in Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. She earned an M.A. in Psychology/Drama Therapy from California State University, Los Angeles and holds Certificates in TESOL and Neuro-Linguistics. Derek Kent earned his B.A. from U.C.L.A. and has been an English-As-A-Foreign Language Instructor in the Middle East and Thailand for 15 years. He is now involved in providing educational opportunities, developing job and career training, and establishing a support center for disadvantaged young girls in Thailand.