Product Description

The inmates of Bangkwang prison in Bangkok have nothing to
look forward to. Except a visit from their own personal angel. This is the
story of that angel. Susan Aldous had been on a path to self-destruction
when she decided to give her life to others instead of wasting it away in
Melbournes dark underbelly. Working as a Playboy bunny girl, an admirer
sponsored her to travel abroad for charity. She left a world of drugs and
petty crime behind and moved to Singapore, then to Thailand to work on a
nine day project helping the socially disadvantaged. 15 years later she is
still there. A single mother with no salary and few possessions, she
devotes her life to helping others, visiting prisoners who have nobody else
to turn to. Whether it is teaching young Thai men to accept the world they
live in, or helping foreign inmates adjust to life in a Thai jail, Susan is
a one-woman charity phenomenon. This is her story.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #402550 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 280 pages

Synopsis
Features one woman's struggle to bring humanity and hope to the prisoners of Bangkok's worst prisons.

About the Author
Susan Aldous

mother of one, Susan Aldous grew up in Melbourne as a rebellious young woman. Growing tired of her wayward lifestyle, she decided to give all she had to others. She has no money, so she gives her life, helping those with nobody else to turn to, in one of the worlds worst prisons. She has lived in Bangkok for 15 years, campaigning for prisoners rights and fundraising for various charity drives.

Excerpted from The Angel of Bang Kwang Prison by Susan Aldous. Copyright © 2007. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bangkok Hilton is almost as popular a tourist curio site as
any of the city's magnificent temples. It was built in the 1930s and is a
Maximum Security Prison holding inmates who are serving sentences of more
than 25 years. It also holds inmates whose appeals are pending in the
Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, as well as the prisoners on Death Row
waiting to be executed.
Overcrowding in the prison is a huge problem, with the population usually
around the 8,000 mark. The prison was originally built to hold considerably
less than this. There is a pervading sense of hopelessness inside its wall
due to the ridiculously long prison sentences and the infrequent state
executions. I had passed by its huge walls several times, never realising
the impact the prison and its inhabitants would, one day, make in my life.
As the saying goes, `God works in mysterious ways.'
It all began thanks to my American friend Joanna. Her son was in the US
army and someone who knew that his mother was in Bangkok had passed on the
name of an American guy who was incarcerated in Bang Kwang, wondering if
she would be so good as to check in on him. She duly made the visit but was
horrified and shocked at the condition of the place. She approached me that
evening and begged me to accompany her when she made her next visit.
`Please Susan, I need you to keep me sane or I'm going to end up being
bitter and twisted, and consumed by my hatred of the guards and the staff
that work there. You've got to come, if only to give me a sense of
perspective.'
I immediately said no, even though I had experience visiting inmates at
Bumbud. Or perhaps because of that very fact. After listening to her
account of the place I knew that if I made just one visit I would be hooked
and I really didn't have the time for another such demanding, albeit
challenging and stimulating, project. Apart from the fact that my days were
taken up with my youth and drug rehabilitation work, there was the fact
that I lived two hours away from Bang Kwang and my visiting would involve a
journey by car, bus, boat and then a walk, while carrying food and whatever
else the inmates might need. I continued to say no for several weeks but
Joanna is a particularly stubborn woman and when she gets an idea she just
can't give up on it--which is one of the things I love about her. Finally I
gave in to her and agreed to go to the prison which was, quite possibly, no
surprise to either of us. I told her that I would be making only one--or,
at most, two--visits after which I would tell her exactly what I thought,
and that would be that. I don't suppose either of us believed me, but we
both acted like we did.
We made an appointment to meet with the Director- General of the Department
of Corrections after meeting with the American inmate on that first day. As
it turned out, the Director-General had got talking to a friend of mine at
a function and let it be known that he was looking for a
volunteer to head up projects in the prison. I dressed hyperconservative
for the day, wanting to appear as business-like and missionary-like as
possible. I wore a black skirt, grey stockings, pristine white blouse,
heels, my pearl necklace, just enough make-up, carried a briefcase and even
had my hair up in a bun; the party-lover with tampon ear-rings and
see-through clothes would have hated it.
Joanna mirrored my image, and we headed off to the Department of
Corrections, which was, at that time, housed in a small, funky old building
that looked like something left over from a movie set. The guards also
looked like old movie extras with their ancient uniform of faded, too-short
pants, ill-fitting, colourless shirts and scruff y shoes.
I was there to discuss possible projects with the Director- General. He was
the supreme head of Thai penology--it's always better to start at the top
and then work your way down; that way you cannot step on anyone's toes,
plus you are also perceived to be thoroughly upfront in motive and
intent, which is a necessary requirement for my line of business. In turn
he introduced us to many other officials.
Some of these had never set foot inside the prison and had lots of
questions for us. They wanted to know what life was like inside, which was
ironic considering they should have known much more than foreigners like
Joanna and I.
Our timing was good and that first visit brought me many opportunities and
projects. It was as if Bang Kwang had just been sitting there, waiting for
me to arrive at its doors.

Customer Reviews

10 Stars For the Person, 5 For the Book
Seems like it's time to throw my hat into the ring as I lived with Ms.Aldous for most of the last 2 years documented in her book. There were not many surprises contained therein, candor was a main theme in our interaction and I'm grateful that Maverick had the good sense to bring some attention to Susan's exploits, struggles, victories and unshakeable faith. This is an extraordinary soul. I have seen her at her best and worst, worst being about normal in this country. Her authenticity has been called into question on some occasions in these reviews which I think perhaps is the most unnerving. Her husband was the drummer in our band, was a good friend who ultimately succumbed to his old ways and put Susan and her daughter in a very untenable position. I watched this woman who was smack dab in the middle of hell, (betrayal, infidelity, homelessness) apply the principles of her faith against seemingly insurmountable odds to emerge eventually much wiser and stronger as a result. "There's nothing that can happen to me that I can't use to help someone else" is one of her statements that resounds with me still when life is tough. I watched this woman pray with strangers, clerks, tradesmen that came to the house, folks at 12 step meetings that were feeling dismantled and needed a kind word. She aspired to making her very life a prayer. I could go on for a long time here (maybe my own book) but I won't. Her daughter is staying with me at present and while there is some undeniable discord between them, I see that meeting some resolve down the road. All this to say, here is someone like you've never met before. Surely an example for all of us. That's why she agreed to the book, to perhaps inspire some selfless giving in more of us. Just one would make it worth it.

um
I want to cry because she is my mother, and the all the good reviews are from people she knows. I don't know, I think this book was a terrible cookie cutted version of our lives, but if you knew her in real life you would know that even though she's a stupid sociopath credit where its due demands that you know that she had it really really hard when Garth left us. I think that I deserve way more credit than her considering she uprooted my whole life for a man.

Angles are amoung us
I really enjoyed reading and crying my way through this inspirational and personal book and learning about the fate, struggle, heartache and everyday life of this one special women in Bangkok. Her dedication to save one live at a time and share love around the worst prison in asia, her energy and strong belief in that everybody is special and worth love and support is truely a tale of the modern angle. Wish there were more people like her in the world. Read the book and find a peace of angle in yourself.