Monkey House Blues: A Shanghai Prison Memoir

by Dominic Stevenson

In 1993, Dominic Stevenson left a comfortable life living with his girlfriend in Kyoto, Japan, to travel to China. His journey took him to some of the most inhospitable and dangerous places in the world, from the poppy fields of the Afghan–Pakistan border, to the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road, before he was arrested for drug smuggling while boarding a boat from Shanghai to Japan. After eight months on remand in a Chinese police lock-up, Stevenson was sentenced to two and a half years in one of the biggest prisons in the world, the Shanghai Municipal Prison aka "The Monkey House." There, he was imprisoned alongside just five westerners amongst five thousand Chinese criminals in a block for death row inmates and political prisoners, where the guards drank green tea and let the prison run itself. The experience led him to reflect on his previous life in Japan, India and Thailand, during which time he took on a varied array of jobs, including English teacher, karaoke-bar host, factory worker, busker, crystal seller, dope smuggler, and film extra. From Afghan gun shops to Tibetan monasteries, Thai brothels and the stirrings of the rave culture in Goa, Monkey House Blues is a tale of discovery and rediscovery, of friendship, and betrayal. An original and picaresque tale of love, loss, and awakening in a Chinese prison.

Genres: Nonfiction, China

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[123abc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good - despite the title and description it’s more than just a prison memoir and details lots of the author’s experiences before ending up in prison. The book has an interesting tone and (I think) makes very few judgements or shares few opinions but rather just explains situations quite plainly/without much emotion.

[Mrs Mac McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the memoir of a young man who ended up in a Shanghai jail in China for drug smuggling.

I did enjoy reading this as it was more than a prison memoir as he peppered it with his tales of travel across Asia, and the language he uses is almost poetic in his description of his experiences. However, it is for a mature reader as there is a lot of reference to drug taking, smuggling and descriptions of drug preparation and its effects throughout the book. So reader beware.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read though a bit hard to follow at times. Was interesting how it gave you an insight into the Chinese culture

[Mouna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read into life in a Chinese prison!

[David Mcgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Great read. Interesting story. Well written and thoughtful. Some good insights into modern China too. Would recommend as a prison memoir afficianado