Book Description
Having lived a successful life in Bangkok that included friends, two teaching jobs, and her own apartment, Sandra Gregory recounts how her life took a terrible turn in 1993 and how she experienced a journey from prison to renewal. While recuperating from dysentery and dengue fever, Gregory ran out of money. With mounting medical bills to pay, she met a heroin addict who offered her $1,000 to smuggle his personal supply of heroin to Japan. It was just enough to pay her medical bills and buy a ticket home, but Gregory was arrested at Bangkok airport before she even boarded the plane. Detailing the four and a half years she spent in the notorious Lard Yao prison, dubbed the "Bangkok Hilton," Gregory describes scenes of horrific brutality and suffering before being transferred to a British jail to serve the rest of her 22-year sentence. She tells of her daily fight for survival, of many women who died with no medical care or loved ones around them, and of her acceptance of her guilt and ultimate redemption.

PM ME IF YOU WANT TO JOIN BOOKRING (Australia only)
kidwrangler • QLD
ScarletRubies • NT
amberC • NT
sarahbear • TAS
gabbysmum • QLD
puppymummy • VIC
bookfairy65 • NSW
magicjessnrach • SA
Arrietty • SA
Shelly-Sparkles • QLD
sharky13 • TAS
LizzieM-VIC
scrapaholic • NT
back to michyj • QLD

This book is a true story about one UK woman, Sandra Gregory, who was caught for smuggling a small portion of heroine through the Bangkok airport trying to make money to get home to the UK. She gets busted and this is her story telling what the Thai prison is like and how she just wants to get her prison transfer back to a UK prison thinking it would be better, she quickly found out it was worse than Thailand. She never whinges that she shouldn't be there, she admits her guilt and says she deserves prison time. It is well written and detailed so you can imagine what it must have been like for her. There are many Australians serving time for drug muling, many of whom have been in the media over the past year, and this gives a small glimpse into what their lives must be like now.

MAILED TUESDAY JULY 18, 2006

Received in the mail today - thanks michyj! I will read, review and pass on asap.

Oh wow - what a powerfully honest book. This is an amzing account of Sandra Gregory's experiences, and one in which she tries not to give excuses, but admit mistakes and take responsibility. All the more interesting a read given the numbers of Australians in foreign gaols highlighted by the media over the past year. I like the strength of spirit expressed in this book.

Passing on to ScarletRubies today. Thanks again MichyJ for sharing this book.

Thanks, Kidwrangler for sending this book to my holiday destination rather than at home - it has made great holiday reading! Sorry to be so long journalling it; access to a computer is a little limited as is time.

Still, have enjoyed reading this book. I really like reading bios & autobios. I found it so hard to have sympathy for Sandra Gregory, and truthfuly I didn't like her (I wonder if I would have liked her before her prison experiences? Probably not...). I guess I am being as judgemental as I thought she was!

That said, I continue to be amazed that anyone can live through an experience like this. Human beings do such terrible, terrible things to one another. Gaol seems to be one of the most devaluing and dehumanising places, and it hurt my heart to read some of the sick and revolting stories Sandra told. Yes, I hated reading about the cat, but not any more so than hearing about the lives of these women all but destroyed. She makes an interesting observation that most if not all of the female prisoners were there because of men. A generalisation to be sure, but it raises the age old question - when will we learn to make decisions that are right, not those that get us short-term affection?

I recommend the book to all, not because Sandra is likeable or her story unique, but as a cautionary tale I guess. Yes, drugs are terrible and ruin many promising lives, but gaols are evil and in micro-societies people can do evil things to one another just because they have the power too. So very sad.

Thanks for the loan, michyj. I am still on hols and back in the NT on the 25th - will contact AmberC and probably post as I am not around for the next meet up.

CAUGHT IN TERRIGAL NSW AUSTRALIA

Note to self: sign in before journalling...
Book is with ScarletRubies and waiting reading before heading off to AmberC.

This book is on it's way across town to amberC... hope you enjoy it. I found Sandra a bit inclined to make excuses, and the book is quite confrontational in places. Worth reading.

Arrived safely today. Sorry I couldn't get over to pick it up Ruby.

Worth reading to see behind the scenes of what happens when you see yet another Aussie, Brit or whatever picked up in Asia for drug smuggling. I thought she put it across well that she deserved punishment for what she did, but was a bit whiny about the length of her sentence. The length of sentences in Thailand etc are well known, so it is what she should have expected.

Thanks for sharing michyj. I will be posting this to sarahbear today.

Arrived safely and soundly in Tassie.

WOW what a story. Quite an eye opener. Thanks for sharing.

Posting to gabbysmum as soon as I have an address.

Travelling to gabbysmum now.

Sorry I received this book last week but I have been too ill to even journal it.Iam enjoying it so far.

I enjoyed the book throughly.Sandra didnt make excuses for herself,she admitted she deserved her punishment and that she was in her words "a stupid cow".She like I imagine many inmates in foreign goals feel their sentences are too long and hope for a reduction or a pardon or transfer but everyone knows what the sentence is for drug smuggling.I do hope the book serves as a warning to future drug smugglers but I doubt it will.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sorry for the delay but it is finally on its way.

Arrived safely with me, I have a number ahead but will try to get to it soon.

Wow, what a terrific read - I've never read about conditions inside jails before and it's fascinating. It also makes me wonder how much of the stories coming from prisoners like Schapelle Corby is due to their frustration and paranoia - makes me a little more sympathetic, I certainly don't think I could cope under those conditions.
Really interesting to read, and would be valuable information for a lot of people I think.
Posting to bookfairy65 tomorrow, thanks for the opportunity to read it.

Received in the post today. I am looking forward to reading this one. Thanks to all who have held this book before me for sending it on :-)

Wow, what a compelling read. I received this book in the mail yesterday and couldn't put it down - I am looking rather bleary eyed today as I was awake half the night reading this.

I agree with some of the previous readers that this is a very honest and open story about prison life - I get really annoyed when I hear criminals deny or make excuses for their crimes, and was glad to see that this book was not like that.

I felt real empathy for Sandra and I don't really know why because usually I think drug-dealers deserve everything that they get and am quite unsympathetic toward them. Sandra is the same age as I am so maybe that influenced my feelings somewhat, however, I just genuinly felt that she was telling the truth and was in gaol more due to her stupidity rather than as a result of comitting a selfish crime.

I will Pm the next person on the list and get this book to them ASAP. Thanks for sharing michyj :-)

In the post today to magicjessnrach!

Received with thanks :)

Jess read this book and loved it. Will contact Arrietty and arrange to pass it on. Thanks for letting us be a part of your ring.

Have just received the book from a friend who was looking after it while I was away on holidays. The book made a little detour as my friend read it last week and said it was a very interesting story- She observes how she didn't feel a lot of sympathy for Sandra until she had to spend the rest of her time in UK prison. It was a raw and believable story.

I will start the book and get it moving again as soon as possible. Thanks michyj

Great story, so harrowing! It's amazing that anyone can survive the horrors that Sandra endured and then went on to more horrors. Maybe what really sustained her was that she didn't think it could get any worse. It reminds me awfully of another bookring called Sins of the Mothers (http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/3925984)
It just goes to show that justice doesn't necessary happen because you are in a democratic country. In Sins, the author was caught with drugs in Australia and her story is also about the punishment not fitting the crime.

I do love these types of true life stories. It's another world out there. I'm about to watch a movie called Bangkok Hilton with Nicole Kidman. Thanks for sharing everyone. I'll contact shelly-sparkles next.

Received in the mail today. Am babysitting tonight and the book looks like it will be an easy read so I will read whilst the baby sleeps.

Thanks for sending this to me from Crafers in my home state of South Australia! Although it would be getting cooler in Crafers but oh so delightful seeing the colours of the trees changing.

I will update once I finish the book as to my thoughts on this read.

This story to me highlighted 'human endurance'. Could I have gone through what the author lived through in her goal days and survived? I think not.

Reading about the authors time in the Durham prison, where she was held with 2 women who had raped, battered, pulled out her toenails, force fed her disinfectant - her being a 14 year old girl. Pure evil is the way the author described these women.

Watching the experiment 'Big Brother' on TV is enough to process, what if you were in the house with someone who you just could not relate to but there was no distractions, no freedom to get away from those who most upset your equilibrium. Gaol. Prison guards are another danger. Nope I would not have the will to survive.

Yes the author smuggled drugs. Yes she needed to face the penalties associated with this crime. No she did not deserve to be in the high security prison. Yes she deserved a pardon.

I liked the read. I like stories that tell the tales of humans who are put into extraordinary situations and have the gift of being able to relate the tale to us humans, who have had a mediocre life (thank goodness).

I will now PM the next person on the list for this book.



Never ever would I ever want to go through the goal system.

Arrived today thanks.

The sunny wrapping arrived on a sunny day. I'm wearing shorts in Tasmania.lol

Will add this to the TBR hill.

Seek, read & enjoy.

Finally I finish it.

Although Sandra was honest & took the blame for what she chose to do, I found it a difficult book to get into. Maybe my TBR pile was too big to really enjoy this book as much as everyone else seemed to.

Thanks for sharing & I sincerely apologise for the LONG delays.

I will endeavour to contact the next person on the list & get it posted sometime in January.

Sek, read & enjoy.