Midnight Express

The book is a much more accurate and much more compelling story of the arrest, imprisonment and escape of Billy Hayes in Turkey and imprisoned for smuggling than the 1978 movie. Of course the book is in Hayes' own words and not the twisted fantasies of overzealous filmmakers so that is definitely a big plus.Hayes goes into details over what happened when and after he was arrested for attempting to smuggle 2 kilos of hashish out of the country, the people he met and befriended (or antagonized in a couple of cases) in prison, the adjustments he made in adapting to prison life, the endless boredom of just having to wait, wait, wait and rot while the courts decided his fate, the devastation he experienced when his original 4 year sentence for possession is extended to 30 years. Unlike the movie,in which he condemned the whole nation as 'pigs' Hayes actually tells the judges that he forgives them.Story doesn't end there though obviously. Despite the court's decision, Billy is more determined than ever to want to escape, while his family, friends, lawyers and other outside contacts continue to try and win him his freedom....to no avail. Even the transfer to the U.S. that his American lawyer was so confident would be granted to Billy and seemed like his best bet to get out of jail long before his new 30 year sentence was up, continued to stall and drag on without a decision in sight as to when or even if he would be going home. So Billy finally decides to take matters in his own hands and escape....That's another big glaring omission from the movie. In the film, Billy escapes by accidentally killing the brutal guard and steals the key so he can quietly sneak out of the prison and make his way to Greece. In reality Billy was transferred to an island prison where he made his way out with a rowboat and furiously rowing away to land and heading to Greece. He was captured there but deported back to the U.S. where he is very joyfully reunited with his family.It really is a powerful story and another important difference....the real Billy takes responsibility for what he did and recognizes what he did was wrong....in sharp contrast to the Billy in the movie who is little more than a whiner who never really owns up to what he did or the fact that he broke the law. I sympathize with the real man much more than the one portrayed by Brad Davis.One thing that should be said though....Hayes couldn't admit it at the time but at the time of his arrest it was NOT his first time smuggling. He actually had done it before 3 times successfully but ran out of luck his fourth time due to the fact that recent hijackings caused airport security to tighten up and be more stricter. I can certainly understand why he would not want to admit that at the time of his arrest....he would no doubt have gotten life, no reduced 30 years or less. Public and political reaction to his situation would have been way less sympathetic.Hayes was no innocent....he makes no bones about that. Did he deserve to serve time? I think so. Did he deserve life or 30 years for his crime (even if he had done it repeatedly)....no. After he escaped he made something of himself, so I'd say he most certainly did learn his lesson and became a better person for it.The book will suck you in, I know it did me. It is a far more compelling and involving story than the movie led you to believe. I highly recommend it.

It was delivered quick, which was appreciated. The book itself was written simply and it was an easy, quick, yet interesting read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I only rated it four stars because there were quite a few grammatical errors and the sentences seemed to run together at times. I myself did not find fault with the character of the author, as some reviews have. We all make mistakes in life and Billy Hayes obviously made the mistake of trying to smuggle drugs across country. He got caught and from the way his book described it, I think that he did make restitution for his crime. I myself couldn't imagine the horror of what he went through. Many people have had experiences that have been traumatizing enough and, however, also be inspiring enough to make into books and into movies. His was one of those.

Well written and true account of being in a prison in Turkey. Couldn’t put it down. Thank you for writing it

Wow! what a wild ride. I had seen the movie many years ago and loved it and finally got around to buying the book.During this pandemic I have gotten burned out on streaming and literally cannot watch any more movies or shows so I have been reading like crazy. I had no intention of reading this book so quickly but I could not put it down. It is a lot different from the movie, but not in a bad way, the movie stands alone as a great cinematic interpretation of what transpired. However, the book gives you the real deal and goes into so much more detail and it doesn't go nearly as smooth as it does in the movie. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are an international traveller or like locked up abroad type shows or documentaries. Great job, Billy. Wishing you the best. Thanks for sharing your ordeal. Your book is an inspiration, especially now during these trying times.

Great book! It is well written and is very Gripping right from the start. It gives great insight as to how the justice systems work in foreign countries and even though we are not always happy with ours I am so thankful for the justice system we have after reading this book. The squalor this man was forced to live in and his treatment by the police & prison officials is Appalling. I Highly recommend Midnight Express it is a real eye opener and it is also 100 times better than the movie, what book isn't right? :) One Huge difference between the book & the movie is the ending. The book's ending, which is the Real ending, is so much more plausible and Harrowing, edge of your seat suspenseful than the Lame "Hollywood's" movie version. I don't know why the people who made the movie didn't stick to the book it certainly would have been so much better. Buy this book it is definitely worth reading

Having just watched the movie on TCM I knew I had to read the book. There were liberties taken with the screenplay, which is common, but several movie scenes were added that took away from the true story and do not make sense to me. Why such a silly ending in the movie? Why not go with the true story which is harrowing and nerve wracking enough? The clicking heels and running seemed incongruent with his injuries and what had happened in his captivity. The scene where he is shown yelling at the judges and screaming obscenities didn't make sense either, to me they were foolish movie baits.For those who say, " he was a druggie and got what he deserved ", I think perhaps you come from an extreme black and white world. He did a stupid thing and suffered way beyond necessary for it. I pity people who don't realize this world has many good people in it who have donestupid, reckless things for some reason. Most grow and learn. MOST have not fully matured enough to really realize that the choices they are making are so foolish , yet few go through such hell.Enjoyed reading.

Différent from the movie but very good

Average read. Not value for money. If you are looking for a book like Papillon, you are going to be very disappointed. Printing is average and looks like a xerox copy. Don’t waste your money and time on this book.

I recall my first viewing of the movie when it came out and it certainly impressed, a great piece created by Alan Parker. The reality behind it has always fascinated me so the book was needed. Talk about a fast read. I had trouble putting it down, eager to learn what was round the next corner. The style of writing is not overbearing and draws you into the experience, told in a relaxed but captivating manner. Having seen the movie, many times, it was interesting to see how the real characters related to those portrayed in the film, and for me anyway, gave an insight as to how the facts and real personalities were presented there.A very engrossing read.

Attention il est en anglais

Spannend von Anfang bis zum Schluss habe das Buch in 2 Tagen verschlungen. Kann ich nur weiter empfehlen. Vielen Dank