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42nd out of 156 books
—
86 voters
The damage done : twelve years of hell in a Bangkok prison
In 1978 Warren Fellows was convicted of heroin trafficking between Thailand and Australia and was consequently sentenced to life in Bang Kwang prison - known as the Bangkok Hilton. This is the story of his 12 years behind bars, the abuse of human rights and the squalid conditions he endured!!
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
October 7th 1999
by Mainstream Publishing
(first published April 16th 1998)
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Jan 06, 2008
Andrew
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Sadists and spoiled brats, those interested in 3rd world prison systems
Recommended to Andrew by:
Jon Cianfrani
4,000 Days was offered to me as an excellent way to get myself out of a reading slump. I'd burned myself out on 400 page novels with brilliant writing and needed something a bit less involving. While I'm not entirely happy with the book, the recommendation was spot on and I found myself finishing it in one sitting.
Telling the story of Warren Fellows, 4,000 Days is more-or-less exactly what the cover promises. Told in a simple, straight-forward style, it is a loose and hurried account of a man's...more
Telling the story of Warren Fellows, 4,000 Days is more-or-less exactly what the cover promises. Told in a simple, straight-forward style, it is a loose and hurried account of a man's...more
I was on my way to Thailand, and wanted something to scare me off doing something stupid and ending up in prison, I had heard about The Damage Done and it was described to me as being a Thai ‘Midnight Express’ so I bought it straight away. Warren Fellows retells the story of his devastating experience in several of Thailand’s most notorious prisons for trafficking heroin in the late 70s. The Damage Done contains twelve years of this man’s life condensed into roughly 200 pages, his words are haun...more
4,000 Days: My Life and Survival in a Bangkok Prison is a biography book written by Warren Fellows. This book is about Warren Fellows, an Australian man who tried to smuggle heroin from Thailand to Australia, but he got caught. He was sent to Bang Kwang Prison and he had to spend 12 years in prison. He described about how the prison was like and how the prisoners were treated in the prison. The life in the prison was horrible, the prisoners were treated badly by the guards and the condition was...more
My husband is not a big reader, just tends to do it on holidays, and its never fiction. Someone recommended this book to him and he got through it pretty quickly to I thought it can't be too bad a read lets give it a go.
Well the prologue alone made me feel pretty queazy, but I carried on. I would not say it is the easiest book to read, the way they are treated in the Thai prison is disgusting and the queasiness returned on several occasions. If for any reason you were thinking of trading in drug...more
Well the prologue alone made me feel pretty queazy, but I carried on. I would not say it is the easiest book to read, the way they are treated in the Thai prison is disgusting and the queasiness returned on several occasions. If for any reason you were thinking of trading in drug...more
Story of an Australian man caught smuggling heroin from Bangkok and his time spent in Bang Kwang prison. Midnight Express is one of my all time favorite books about Billy Hayes imprisoned in Turkey for smuggling hash. 4000 Days is a good story but it is told in past tense instead of story form. Still interesting but not as good as Midnight Express.
Read in one day. Fellows spent 11 1/2 years in the Thailand prison system from 1978 until late 1989 for drug trafficking. He admits his guilt. It's a story of unrelenting horror- torture, heat, bugs, rats, filth, disease, privation and starvation and he has survived it all. Anyone who reads this account and feels justice was done isn't human.
This biography is written by Australian, Warren Fellows who was caught drug trafficking between Thailand and Australia in around 1978. The Damage Done gives excellent picture of what happens to the drugs traffickers that get caught by the authorizes. In addition it also deals with the violent and sadistic torture of Thai prisons and the everyday life Mr. Fellows had to suffer. One truly learns that prisons are full of drug deals between the walls, and unfair treatment to the offenders of crime.T...more
I burned through this one in about 2 days while in Cambodia, having just been in Thailand. Its a good read I'd you want to be scared shitless out of misbehaving in Southeast Asia - despite this books 1970s-80s setting, not a lot has changed when it comes to being jailed in a country like Thailand. It's well written, unfortunately sickening at many points, and a thoroughly shocking first hand account of one of the worst places on earth. There's no much to say past that - the books' simplicity ser...more
A shockingly true story of two aussies jailed for drug trafficking in Bangkok in 1978 for 12 years.Whether they deserved it or not is besides the point. The horror and the cruelty of the guards and the inmates has to be read to be believed. While telling the reader of their experiences it is distressing to read about the graphic details of many other young travellers from all over Europe who disappear in to this hell hole, some never to be seen again. A must read if you want to know and avoid th...more
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As with most people who read this book. I finished it in about two page-turning hours and thought it was a phenominal insight into the world of westerners involved with drugs in Asia. Warren wrote a straight to the point, one dimensional account of his experience - and it still receives a wealth of praise from both sides of the drug-debate fence. I say this because I wonder how my own book will be received, having written it with a literary bent straight from the heart of a full-on-and-mental li...more
Quite a depressing book to be honest. A trafficker caught in the act who pays the ultimate price. Twelve years in a hellhole. Have to feel sorry for the guy but then you have to feel sorry for the heroin addicts who were addicted to his supplied product. Ironically he becomes an addict himself during his time behind bars. "Marching Powder" by Rusty Young is certainly a better, more uplifting tale, of life in prison for a trafficker. Much funnier too and at times, almost unbelievable!
I read this autobiography for English and fair warning, there are some grusome scenes! The story takes a while to get into and Fellows positions himself as 'the innocent traveller' when he in fact was guilty, however, the brutality of the Thai justice system, and characters such as Mad Dog and Prisit encourage the audience to feel sypathetic for the 12 years of hell he endured in Bang Kwang.
PS. The bit about the pigs= :O wow. Did not expect that, it was rather disturbing
PS. The bit about the pigs= :O wow. Did not expect that, it was rather disturbing
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Couldn't put it down from the minute I picked it up.
Warren Fellows never sets out to gather sympathy from his readers, but to highlight the appalling conditions (and the corrupt justice system) which prisoners in Thailand have to deal with.
He is not a professional writer so any criticism on the style of writing is uncalled for - I was captivated from beginning to end. 10/10 from me.
Warren Fellows never sets out to gather sympathy from his readers, but to highlight the appalling conditions (and the corrupt justice system) which prisoners in Thailand have to deal with.
He is not a professional writer so any criticism on the style of writing is uncalled for - I was captivated from beginning to end. 10/10 from me.
loved it from start to finish i too was a herion addict for 15 years i found he knew what he was talking about in this book i read it in prison for the first time and the second time was just 2 day ago its a must read book .I for one would seriosly think when i am abroad of having any thing to do with drugs. and will be do.uble chequing me case . its just so sad this story how one man could go through so much.
For anyone even contemplating the life of drug smuggling, this is a must read. This tale of filthy conditions and uncaring guards all mixed up in a foreign land allow for a horrific page turner. If this doesn't put people off that kind of life, nothing will. This book also contains one of the best/scariest introductions to a book I have ever read. A well written account of living hell.
This book was OK. But I've read far better prison stories.
There's no doubt that Warren endured very hard times, but the story telling was pretty poor. There was no development of prison-mate characters, just a constant stream of "one time a guy...", "...and then another random guy..." etc., etc..
I would recommend books like "Papillon" or "Forget You Had a Daughter" over this one.
There's no doubt that Warren endured very hard times, but the story telling was pretty poor. There was no development of prison-mate characters, just a constant stream of "one time a guy...", "...and then another random guy..." etc., etc..
I would recommend books like "Papillon" or "Forget You Had a Daughter" over this one.
Fascinating read. Finished in one day. Hard to put down and especially relevant to someone traveling in Thailand right now (me). Hard to believe these atrocities are allowed to happen in a 'civilized' world, although I'm sure much worse things happen in other places of the world. A story well told. I commend Fellows for sharing.
I was on vacation and had finished the books I had brought. My friend gave me a few options including this one. He mentioned he had read it before his own trip to Thailand and figured it would deter him from even thinking of doing anything stupid there. Now that I have read it, I don't know how anyone could even consider it.
Good, simple yet troubling read.
Good, simple yet troubling read.
Fascinating and gripping account of how Fellows falls into heroin trafficking and ends up in the Bangkok Hilton. The main thing I like about this book is that Fellows does not ask for sympathy but accepts that he made the choice to traffic heroin and therefore has to suffer the consequences.
One of the most heart wrenching books I have ever read. A true story of an Aussie who was sent to jail for heroin trafficking in Thailand. How he survives the hell they call jail, is beyond me. This book will make you say a silent prayer for Warren and the other's in that jail. Must read.
I enjoyed this book, was hoping for a 'Marching Powder' but not quite. Great insight to the horrors of a Thai prison. Definitely drives home the fact that no payoff is worth the risk of ending up in prison and the ultimate consequence. I didn't really sympathize for the author at all but enjoyed the book regardless. Worth a read.
Captivating read! I read it in one go on the beach while people stopped periodically to tell me what a good book it is. It is a true testament to what the human spirit can endure. It is hands down my all time fav! I highly recommend it to any and all.
The opening few sentences of this book grab hold of you in a vice like grip and attempts to prepare the reader for what is to come. 'Think about the most wretched day of your life' the author asks the reader to contemplate, 'and then imagine 4,000 of those days together in one chunk.' Australian drug-smuggler Warren Fellows doesn't pull any punches, nor does he ask for your sympathy. But he wants his story to be told, because reading what this man went through - no matter what his crime - leaps...more
This an extremely hard-hitting book, with very graphic and disturbing stories from the author. This is an excellent book to give teenagers and anyone does not have the full understanding of the unglamourous consequeces of drugs and drug peddling.
A quick read but not near as good as I expected it to be according to the ratings.
Maybe I am spoiled but I have read 2 books about this same prison by 2 different Dutch guys.
One of those books was so well written and told us the horrible experience he had to go through. But he did that in a much better way than Warren Fellows. This book felt rushed, written from the sideline.
I do understand why this book got high ratings. I think that has lot to do with all the horrible and shocking things he ha...more
Maybe I am spoiled but I have read 2 books about this same prison by 2 different Dutch guys.
One of those books was so well written and told us the horrible experience he had to go through. But he did that in a much better way than Warren Fellows. This book felt rushed, written from the sideline.
I do understand why this book got high ratings. I think that has lot to do with all the horrible and shocking things he ha...more
One of my favourite books and one I now take with me if I'm travelling or have time to kill. Absolutely horrifying and completely engrossing, I read the whole thing in one night and I've read it numerous times since. Not for the faint hearted.
Great book with shocking revelations that make you cringe and wonder how this man survived the mental torture not to mention the physical torture endured.
Its a fantastic book, well written, descriptive and inspirational.
Its a fantastic book, well written, descriptive and inspirational.
Warren's personal recollections of his 12 years in Bangkok prisons for drug offenses. The experiences he had were harrowing, and make for a good insight into some aspects of Thai culture we may otherwise never see.
I literally read this book in 2 hours last night. It was full of enough eye opening, frightening details to keep me reading to the end. Life in a Bangkok prison...first hand and open faced.
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Nov 03, 2010 10:33pm