What do you think?
Rate this book
Banged Up
Davey Sommers should've ended up in a nice job, with a nice wife, living in a nice house... Instead, he ends up an eight-man unlock in prison, serving 17 years for assaulting a police officer, possession of firearms, obtaining money by intimidation and drug dealing. But then, Davey's never done what's expected of him. We've seen how prison works from one side of the door - now Ronnie Thompson has teamed up with Davey Sommers to tell the story of what it's like from the other side. BANGED UP is a gritty account of one man's descent into crime - from small-time dealing to big time. And it's about the realities of being a 'face' in prison - having to keep your fearsome reputation intact, even while you're behind bars. Life inside is revealed in all its gory detail - the smells, the tastes, the unsavoury company (and that includes the screws). Perhaps that's why Davey thought he'd try his luck and escape rather than serve his time... This is a story of drugs, violence, life on the run and, ultimately, justice.
- GenresCrime
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2010
6 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 14, 2020
Banged Up describes a British ex-con's life (Davey Sommers) from the moment he decided to deal drugs on the streets up until a few years after he's finished his prison sentence. The first half of the story focused on Davey's crimes and his self-centered outlook on life. His family doesn't play a big role in the first half, for example, because Davey was mainly concerned with making money and expanding his "kingdom". When Davey was a teenager he dealt drugs, but it didn't take long before he was asked to worked for a druglord, who Davey eventually screwed over to become a notorious druglord himself. He worked closely with the only person he trusted, his childhood friend, who had his back for years up until the police got to him and, in order to receive sentence reduction, he gave up his friendship and loyality to Davey by ratting him out.
Davey was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His descriptions of the first 7 years focussed a lot on his fighting others because he couldn't cope. He also didn't seem to care about what he's done and how his behaviour affected others. His loss of freedom made him act out towards inmates and guards. He was feared and not liked very much by fellow inmates, guards or even the man he shared a cell with. The book also gives a vivid account of the carelessness, corruption and violent brutalities some prison wards inflicted on prisoners, which came across as believable, realistic and, therefore, shocking. Luckily, there were also a few good apples, like the nurse and the woman who set up a meeting between Davey, his father and his brother in prison.
Davey never wanted to communicate with his father and brother in prison even though they had wanted and tried to see him for years. The day this female prison official surprised him with this meeting, Davey learnt that his mother had died the week before. This was the precise moment I decided to continue reading the book, because Davey finally dropped the facade and the way their meeting was described had a real effect on me (it even brought me to tears). I could finally connect with him as a character. Davey was devastated by the way his father looked (grey, old, worried) and of course the news that his mom had died and that he hadn't talked to her before she died. Regardless, Davey didn't attend her funeral. Not sure why, but it seemed that he just couldn't cope with the pain. Instead, he turned to drugs again in prison and numbed his pain.
Shortly after, Davey managed to escape after being in prison for 7 years. He had help from an outside friend who brought him to a hiding place where he met his friend's female friend who gave him a very strong type of drug. Davey claimed that this trance, experience or whatever you want to call it, made him see the world differently. When he got out of the trance he called his dad who picked him up, fed him, clothed him and, after a long talk, made him come to the realisation that he had to turn himself in at the police station nearby.
During the final 7 years of his sentence, he changed as a man. He didn't want to be called Davey any more (it's David now), he wouldn't want to fight anymore (even though some inmates tried to aggravate him to fall back on his old ways) and he mended his bond with a guard he used to hate. He also created a bond with his new cell mate, because they opened up towards each other. David learnt that his friend had been molested by a family member when he was younger. Unfortunately, this family member ended up in the same prison David and his cellmate were in, which had a huge impact on his cellmate. He couldn't cope with the trauma and the knowledge that his molester was so close to him and could hurt him, so he decided to hang himself in prison. This came as a complete shock to David and the loss of his cellmate, now friend, broke his heart.
David revealed a more humane side of himself. He decided to have regular contact with his family and he befriended a guard who worked in the prison's educational department, so that he could read books and become more educated. David also showed an interest in philosophy, reading (a first for him..) and music. He learnt to play the violin and weeks before he got out of prison he surprised himself and staff members who were around and heard him play with his incredible musical skills. David also explored his more spiritual side, although he didn't take to Christianity the way his father had done (he was a pastor). All in all, David had clearly become a new person who cared for others and regretted his former way of life.
With this "new personality" came a new range of vocabulary and different language use. It took me a while to get into the story, because I was so annoyed by the simple sentences, basic vocabulary and the constant use of slang ('bruv') and curse words at the beginning. The language use in the first half of the book is very different compared to that towards the end. It's night and day, which reflects Davey/David's transition from an impulsive criminal youngster to a wiser and more sophisticated, educated older man who repents his sins. Although I understand this stylistic change, it didn't rock my boat as a reader. I would have preferred if the entire story had been written in the more elevated style used towards the end. There's very little joy in reading approx. 100 pages of simple, short sentences that include slang terms used repeatedly just to mirror Davey's 'cool' and 'street wise' personality. I also missed the explanation as to why Sommers came to be a criminal, especially because he mentioned that he came from a normal, happy background. It raised questions. The aspects relevant to why he became a criminal seem essential to me if a realistic transition is aimed to be demonstrated towards being a completely different person. I therefore found the changes in his personality a bit hard to grasp or believe, especially in combination with the knowledge that Sommers felt like a changed man after he had had a drug induced haze.
In conclusion, it's a realistic portrayal of a real person's life, but it's an incomplete and, consequently, unrealistic portrayal of a person's personality change.
Davey was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His descriptions of the first 7 years focussed a lot on his fighting others because he couldn't cope. He also didn't seem to care about what he's done and how his behaviour affected others. His loss of freedom made him act out towards inmates and guards. He was feared and not liked very much by fellow inmates, guards or even the man he shared a cell with. The book also gives a vivid account of the carelessness, corruption and violent brutalities some prison wards inflicted on prisoners, which came across as believable, realistic and, therefore, shocking. Luckily, there were also a few good apples, like the nurse and the woman who set up a meeting between Davey, his father and his brother in prison.
Davey never wanted to communicate with his father and brother in prison even though they had wanted and tried to see him for years. The day this female prison official surprised him with this meeting, Davey learnt that his mother had died the week before. This was the precise moment I decided to continue reading the book, because Davey finally dropped the facade and the way their meeting was described had a real effect on me (it even brought me to tears). I could finally connect with him as a character. Davey was devastated by the way his father looked (grey, old, worried) and of course the news that his mom had died and that he hadn't talked to her before she died. Regardless, Davey didn't attend her funeral. Not sure why, but it seemed that he just couldn't cope with the pain. Instead, he turned to drugs again in prison and numbed his pain.
Shortly after, Davey managed to escape after being in prison for 7 years. He had help from an outside friend who brought him to a hiding place where he met his friend's female friend who gave him a very strong type of drug. Davey claimed that this trance, experience or whatever you want to call it, made him see the world differently. When he got out of the trance he called his dad who picked him up, fed him, clothed him and, after a long talk, made him come to the realisation that he had to turn himself in at the police station nearby.
During the final 7 years of his sentence, he changed as a man. He didn't want to be called Davey any more (it's David now), he wouldn't want to fight anymore (even though some inmates tried to aggravate him to fall back on his old ways) and he mended his bond with a guard he used to hate. He also created a bond with his new cell mate, because they opened up towards each other. David learnt that his friend had been molested by a family member when he was younger. Unfortunately, this family member ended up in the same prison David and his cellmate were in, which had a huge impact on his cellmate. He couldn't cope with the trauma and the knowledge that his molester was so close to him and could hurt him, so he decided to hang himself in prison. This came as a complete shock to David and the loss of his cellmate, now friend, broke his heart.
David revealed a more humane side of himself. He decided to have regular contact with his family and he befriended a guard who worked in the prison's educational department, so that he could read books and become more educated. David also showed an interest in philosophy, reading (a first for him..) and music. He learnt to play the violin and weeks before he got out of prison he surprised himself and staff members who were around and heard him play with his incredible musical skills. David also explored his more spiritual side, although he didn't take to Christianity the way his father had done (he was a pastor). All in all, David had clearly become a new person who cared for others and regretted his former way of life.
With this "new personality" came a new range of vocabulary and different language use. It took me a while to get into the story, because I was so annoyed by the simple sentences, basic vocabulary and the constant use of slang ('bruv') and curse words at the beginning. The language use in the first half of the book is very different compared to that towards the end. It's night and day, which reflects Davey/David's transition from an impulsive criminal youngster to a wiser and more sophisticated, educated older man who repents his sins. Although I understand this stylistic change, it didn't rock my boat as a reader. I would have preferred if the entire story had been written in the more elevated style used towards the end. There's very little joy in reading approx. 100 pages of simple, short sentences that include slang terms used repeatedly just to mirror Davey's 'cool' and 'street wise' personality. I also missed the explanation as to why Sommers came to be a criminal, especially because he mentioned that he came from a normal, happy background. It raised questions. The aspects relevant to why he became a criminal seem essential to me if a realistic transition is aimed to be demonstrated towards being a completely different person. I therefore found the changes in his personality a bit hard to grasp or believe, especially in combination with the knowledge that Sommers felt like a changed man after he had had a drug induced haze.
In conclusion, it's a realistic portrayal of a real person's life, but it's an incomplete and, consequently, unrealistic portrayal of a person's personality change.
November 11, 2012
Ronnie Thompson wrote and sort the very plain story telling into an ideal mind of low-life criminal Davey Sommer at his young ages. I really love how every chapter have it own thrill and wisdom of life. The end was incredible touching. Very very good book to shape your wisdom of life.
September 26, 2018
Whilst reading this book, I regularly wondered whether these events took really place or not... When I read the text on one of the first pages, it is stated that it is a real story. But this text also makes certain statements that lead me to wonder whether it is not a combination of events of different inmates that have been combined in one single storyline. The fact that the name of the prison building is a non-existent one, also made me doubt...
I tried to check some sources on the internet, but also there I was unable to verify the truthfulness of the story.
All-in-all, I found the book has an interesting story to tell. I myself am however more interested in real-life stories instead of fictionary ones.
In the end, I decided to give this book a four star score. Even if the story would not be true, I would still advise this book to the reader with an interest in real-life prison stories.
I tried to check some sources on the internet, but also there I was unable to verify the truthfulness of the story.
All-in-all, I found the book has an interesting story to tell. I myself am however more interested in real-life stories instead of fictionary ones.
In the end, I decided to give this book a four star score. Even if the story would not be true, I would still advise this book to the reader with an interest in real-life prison stories.
April 1, 2021
Yes. it is a good story. Superb.
June 17, 2016
This book didn't really appeal to me at first because it was filled with vulgarities that seemed to devoid the whole book of any meaning. I had almost wanted to give up reading it but the desire for completion pushed me on, past all the vulgarities, till the second half of the book. It got a lot better from there, and it suddenly became a challenge to put down the book. The contrast between the first and second part, (i.e. after he changed for a better person) was gargantuan. It made me feel that I don't really need to be overly ambitious in life. I didn't need to be a student with stellar grades and I didn't need to a future with a lot of money. Sure, those things are nice to have but I shouldn't beat myself down when I'm not doing so well too. As long as we try to live to our fullest, even if it's of very low standard in the eyes of others, we would know that we have tried and would have no regrets :) The focus is on finding meaning in a life with so much routine and so devoid of meaning. Interestingly, I think that life as a student is quite comparable to the life of a "con" (verbatim)(i.e. inmate)
April 24, 2020
This is not a "pretty" book. It is harsh, blunt, ugly and exactly what one would expect from a story about the life of a violent criminal who ends up in a notorious prison. Often difficult to read due to graphic details and vulgar language, the first two-thirds of "Banged Up" concerns Davey Sommers' brutal life as a criminal, a prisoner, and drug addict. The remainder of the book deals with the changes he undergoes so that at least the story ends on an uplifting note.
May 23, 2011
Another great book from Ronnie Thompson (an ex prison officer) this time written through the eyes of a prisoner named David (Davey) Sommers.
August 1, 2012
Shoots straight from the hip, interesting insight into a very different world.
May 25, 2012
Not bad - I've certainly read worse prison stuff. If you're into that kind of thing then you should consider this.
February 28, 2013
What a page turner. A totally different insight into prison life with a heart warming ending
October 10, 2021
Excellent account of Ronnie's time in prison. No holds barred with raw detail and high tension.
Un-put-downable scary stuff!
Un-put-downable scary stuff!
March 21, 2018
I’ve read other books by Ronnie Thompson and I have so much respect for him. I love the way he writes about his experiences with such brutal honesty and no apologies. This was a great insight into prison life and the shocking goings on. I’d love to just keep reading more and more from Ronnie!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews