Billy Moore

A Nightmare in Thailand

Prayer Before Dawn

A Prayer Before Dawn is the true story of one man’s fight to survive inside Klong Prem Prison, the notorious Bangkok Hilton. Billy Moore travelled to Thailand to escape a life of drug addiction and alcoholism. He managed to overcome his inner demons for a time but relapsed after trying ya ba – a highly-addictive form of methamphetamine. Moore’s life quickly descended into chaos, drug dealing and violence until he was eventually arrested and imprisoned in Klong Prem, a place where life has no value. A Prayer Before Dawn is no ordinary prison memoir; it’s the story of one man’s struggle to survive in one of the world’s toughest prisons. It’s also a story of redemption in the most unlikely of places. Billy Moore was born in Liverpool, England. He has worked as a teacher, Muay Thai fighter and extra on film sets. Following his release from prison in Thailand, he returned to Britain where he now lives with his family. He is now working as a motivational speaker and a drugs counsellor.

A Prayer Before Dawn

Stephanie Bayless

Greg Alan Brownderville

Illustrated folktales and poems call to life the Arkansas Delta in an exploration of the region's history and culture.

Folktales and Poems

Deep Down in the Delta

Narrates the difficulties faced by Red Squirrel, a young Plains Indian of small stature whose fear of rattlesnakes makes him the target of other youths.

Little Brother Real Snake

Now a major motion picture The true story of one man’s struggle to survive Muay Thai fights, drugs, and the notorious “Bangkok Hilton” prison in Thailand. The first time Billy Moore walked into his cell packed with seventy prisoners, the floor resembled a mass grave, with intertwined arms and legs, and the smell of human feces was so strong he almost vomited. That night, he slept next to a dead man. It wouldn’t be the last time. Behind the walls of Klong Prem “Bangkok Hilton” prison, life has no value. Overcrowded cells are a breeding ground for HIV, TB, dengue fever, and hepatitis, and the conditions are putrid and brutal. In an environment where drugs, murder, rape, and corruption run rampant, Moore fights to stay afloat above madness and his inner demons. A few years before, Moore had traveled to Thailand to escape a life of heroin addiction and alcoholism in England. In an attempt to stay straight, he became a professional Muay Thai boxer, worked as an extra in Rambo alongside Sylvester Stallone, and even fell in love. However, in the poverty-stricken back streets of Chiang Mai, Moore’s life quickly descended back into chaos when he relapsed after trying ya ba, the deadly crack cocaine of Southeast Asia. Moore was imprisoned first in Chiang Mai Central Prison and later in Klong Prem prison, a hellhole of filth and horror that very few will ever experience and none would want to see again. As a “farang” (foreigner), Moore struggles to survive the prison’s atrocities by making strategic friends, fighting in the prison’s Muay Thai boxing team, and even converting to Islam and praying five times a day. However, what requires more stamina and grit than any of his boxing matches is not just dealing with dangerous Thai criminals that lurk behind prison walls, but also resisting his addictions in an environment where drugs run plenty and wrestling with guilt. A Prayer Before Dawn is no ordinary prison memoir; it’s the story of one man’s survival amid inhumane circumstances and, most importantly, his redemption in the most unlikely of places.

My Nightmare in Thailand?s Prisons

"The tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter until the lion speaks" is an African proverb. The premise of the proverb explains how people will glorify a story or create a narrative about someone that isn't necessarily accurate or even make themselves look good. This is done only to create an attitude within people toward other people that they want to paint a negative point of view of.This book was written to complicate the narrative of the story that sensationalized the confrontation of Ben Wilson and Billy Moore. Billy not only addressed just the confrontation on that unfortunate day but also set out to outline his pedigree, his upbringing, his experience in prison, and the work he had been doing since his release.Until the Lion Speaks tells of the social landscape that defined Chicago in the eighties. Anyone who reads this book from Chicago growing up at that time will feel Chicago in every line. In fact, Billy Moore has made the city of Chicago as a separate character in Until the Lion Speaks! This is a comeback story, a story of redemption and reconciliation. Hopefully, the lessons that can be learned from Until the Lion Speaks will help young men develop the emotional skills to successfully get past those moments. When confronted with unfortunate circumstances, the lessons in this book can help them make better decisions so they can walk away to hopefully live their best lives!

Until the Lion Speaks

'The next round in Billy's fight is pain-racked, frank and reflective . . . an inspiring piece from a man who's been to hell and back and has the scars to prove it' JOE COLE 'Brutally honest, dark and disturbing. A book that tells of the reality of drugs and a failing prison system' NEIL SAMWORTH, author of Strangeways: A Prison Officer's Story 'His life may have had many ups and downs, but Billy is a wonderful example of never giving up' JAMES ENGLISH 'A true story of forgiveness, not only learning to forgive others but also learning to forgive yourself. An incredibly emotional story about an incredible man who's had an incredible journey' LIAM HARRISON 'This time I am telling the story of my life both before prison in Thailand and what followed once I was back in the United Kingdom, my cancer diagnosis, more prison time and, finally, redemption. I am trying to understand aspects of my childhood that had a role in my eventual downward spiral into addiction, pain, misery and loss' BILLY MOORE Billy Moore spent three years in Klong Prem prison in Thailand, popularly known as the 'Bangkok Hilton', where he witnessed acts of extreme violence and sexual assault. Eventually he found purpose through taking part in Muay Thai boxing tournaments in jail. Here, he found 'a wall of human community' amongst the elite boxers and regained his sobriety. He was granted early release by the King of Thailand having excelled as a Muay Thai boxer in inter-prison tournaments. But back in the UK and a decade later - with his demons resurfacing - Billy's past caught up with him. He was caught and convicted of a burglary and was despatched to HMP Walton under then home secretary Theresa May's three-strikes rule. Billy has spent almost twenty-two years in various prisons, but since then, he has not only survived cancer, but also gone on to become a powerful advocate of boxing and anti-knife crime initiatives in the Liverpool area, training young boxers. A Prayer Before Dawn was made into a film directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire and starring Joe Cole, of Peaky Blinders' fame. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, but by the time it went on general release, Billy was back in prison in the UK. In this follow-up to Billy's first international bestseller, an autobiography set largely in Thailand's infamous prison system, Billy sets out to explore his experience of childhood abuse that would lead to a life of drug addiction and near-constant incarceration. After Billy's sentence in Klong Prem prison was commuted as a result of his extraordinary success as a Muay Thai boxer, he returned to the UK. In this vividly told story, Liverpudlian Billy contrasts his first-hand experience of one of the cruellest prison systems in the world with his experience of UK prisons. The result is, in part, a shocking exposé of the inadequacy of care and the lack of humanity in British prisons. But Billy's story is mainly one of rehabilitation, recovery and redemption. Rich in detail, honesty and humour, his book is a fast-paced, unputdownable read which shows how the human spirit can endure and eventually thrive.

Billy Moore

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