Customer Reviews

Forget You Had a Daughter: Doing Time in the 'Bangkok Hilton'

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked up this book on a whim while traveling throughout Southeast Asia last month. Having heard various horror stories about the horrendous prisons there, Gregory's book perked my interest.

If you have read Warren Fellow's similar account, read this one! Unlike Fellows, Gregory fully admits her guilt, still finds beauty in Thailand and its people, and was honest about what she thought she deserved. I had a lot of sympathy for her.

Like many young travelers, Gregory was naive, sick, desperate to get home, and broke. She agreed to be a mule for smugling drugs out of Thailand. Her reward: 1000 pounds, more than enough to get her back home to the UK.

It is not uncommon for young travelers to do Southeast Asia on a VERY limited budget. Many people set out for a year or more at a time. Though SE Asia is very inexpensive compared to the West, funds can run out. Or even if that is not the case, some naive travelers see smuggling (drugs, gems, silk, etc) as an easy way to make some good money.

I think that ANYONE heading out to Southeast Asia to backpack through the area MUST read this book. It is a harsh reminder that no matter how easy transporting drugs may seem, it is simply not worth the risk. Many people think "that could never happen to me," but if you read Gregory's story, you quickly realize that it can and does. Gregory was not a repeat smuggler. She had never done anything like that in her life. And she really paid for her crime. There are MANY farang in Thai prisons who were young, naive, first time mules like Gregory.

Gregory hopes that her horror story will convince travelers, like herself, NOT do try anything like that.

All around a good (though horrifying) read that portrayed a VERY different side of the same country, even the same city (Bangkok), that I had been enjoying.

Gregory's book details her life from meeting the guy who offered her money to smuggle drugs, to her life in Thai prisons, adapting to the harsh way of life and finally moving back home to a British prison. The development of her character from beginning to end is evident to all through her concise narrative about her guilt and shame, especially when she speaks of her family members. All in all, this is a haunting real-life story that shouldn't be missed by anyone, especially Caucasians travelling for long periods of time in Southeast Asia. The temptation may be great when funds are running low, but the horrors of prisons in the less-developed regions are not exaggerated.

On the way back to Taipei City, TAIWAN, I picked this book just to have something to read on the airplane. It turned out to be a very interesting book and one of the favourite ones that I would recommend to my friends. I am Thai and when I watched Thai movies about Thai prisons, I always thought the stories were a bit exaggerated. Kneeling down when talk to the officers? Sex between prisoner and prisoner, prisoner and officer? Stunningly, after finishing this book, I realize how accurate and surprisingly good this book is. This book deserves a good recommendation, indeed!

Having lived in Thailand for a gratifying 5 years, I am familiar with everything she describes and feels for the country. Thailand is a stunning country known as the "land of smiles" but numerous people don't realize that behind those smiles there is an entire different side to Thailand. That life I like most people have never gone through and do not realize how hideous it is. That is what this book is about, a book filled with fact stating the hideous side of Thailand. I was traumatized by some of the events not realizing that such a beautiful country has such a dark side too it when crossing the path of a good person to breaking the rules. I think it is definitely worthwhile reading, it touches your heart so much because you realize that as we speak about the harsh life in prison there are people out there in those hideous prisons which animals control who think they are gods and the prisoners are slaves. Even though Sandra Gregory made a huge mistake the reason for such was so understandable. Even though she smuggled the drugs I think she is a great and caring person helping others realize that you should think twice before smuggling drugs. This is one of the unsurpassed books I have ever read, it isn't an enjoyable book, where you can laugh, it is depressing and sad but so realistic because you know this is a true story, which a human being has been through. Some of the events disgust you but you continue to read because the book has so much gratitude to it.

This was a rather timely read given the current situation in South East Asia with Sharpelle Corby and the Bali 9. In this book, Gregory tells the story of how she set out from Britain to spend 8 weeks in Thailand, accompanying a friend of a friend she had no previous acquaintance with. Gregory loved Thailand so much that she decided to stay on, until she became seriously ill and distraught over the political situation at the time. Having no money to return to Britain and too stubborn to ask her family for financial support, she 'serendipitously' re-encounters her former travelling companion who offers her one thousand pounds to smuggle a small quantity of heroin for him. Desperately ill and under the impression her acquaintence has 'fixed' things at customs, she agrees. She is, of course, caught.

The story describes her time at Lard Yao, known worldwide as the 'Bangkok Hilton' and the shocking conditions she was forced to endure. Following her transfer to a British prison, Gregory continues her tale, drawing contrasts between the penal systems of the two countries, and finding Britain to be the worse of the two.

Of particular interest were Gregory's encounters with some very notorious offenders such as Rosemary West. She also speaks of the shadow of Myra Hindley in two of the prisons she was incarcerated in. I actually found the second part of the book, where Gregory was in British prisons to be more horrifying than her descriptions of Thai prisons.

Gregory's book is very readable, honest and pulls no punches. However, at the end, you realise that Gregory's book is not so much about her physical survival, but her emotional survival and the evolution of her soul.

This is an extremely touching story that is raw and honest and will touch the heart of anyone. I started it yesterday and spent until the early of hours of the morning reading it as I could't put it down. The story flows very well and you identify with all the emotions that Sandra Gregory goes through. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a story that you just can't put down.

Reading this incredible story reminded me to be grateful for every minute of my life. While reading the book in bed sipping on coffee, I could walk to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat or go for a long hot bath if I felt like it. Sandra Gregory could not do any of this. She spent years in jail under shocking and appalling circumstances. Her crime? She naively attempted to traffic heroin out of Thailand for a near-stranger in order to make enough money to fly home to England. She initially received the death sentence which was reduced to life and then to 25 years. After serving years in a Thai prison and then several British prisons with hardened criminals and murderers she eventually received a king's pardon. In telling her story, Sandra takes full responsibility for her actions and never comes across wanting you to feel sorry for her. Even so, I felt that her punishment was way too harsh for the crime. This book is a harrowing tale of how one stupid decision can turn your life around in an instant. It is a riveting read and left me feeling thankful that I have never had to endure anything near what Sandra has endured. If you enjoy affliction memoirs, this one is highly recommended.

I just loved every minute of reading this book, I thought it was so well written and shocking and brutally honest. I got chills through my body when she got the call to say she had recieved a pardon. I would most definitely recommend this book. I absolutely loved it.

Read this book in two days, only because I had to work! Made both my daughters read it, just in case!

I just finished reading "Forget You Had a Daughter" by Sandra Gregory and I found it to be one scary book. Young people take a lot of chances and this young lady took one too - big mistake. She should have just called home and asked her parents for money. That's what parents are there for (I'm a parent, and I know!). I enjoyed the book immensely and felt badly for the author who lost a lot of years in her young life to prison. Glad that she's doing well now and has moved on! On a lighter note, my daughter walked past the book on my dresser and was very hurt to think that I would read a book about trying to forget that I had her. I had to explain the title to her and I also had to interject a life lesson about the potential dangers of traveling abroad with drugs. I think she was sorry she brought the whole subject up!