Book excerpt: 100% of all proceeds of the sale of this book will be donated to the Human Development Fund in Bangkok, Thailand The Reverend Joseph H. Maier, C.Ss.R., is a Redemptorist priest from the United States. He came to Thailand in 1967 as a missionary, serving in north Isan and then among the Hmong in Laos. In 1972, he established the Human Development Foundation in Bangkok's Klong Toey slum, where he has lived and worked for more than 30 years. Threatened and shot at, the unwavering priest has over the years become a no-nonsense, street-smart friend to the poor, from whom he draws constant inspiration. Father Joe, as he's called, has established more than thirty schools, five shelters for street kids, and several projects for women and children with AIDS, working with and against authority, earning enmity and praise in equal measure. In Welcome to the Bangkok Slaughterhouse, he tells the heartbreaking and heartwarming stories of the poorest of Thailand's poor, each a gem guaranteed to bring anger, tears, and joy.