The arrest, trial and conviction of Schapelle Corby occured in the few years just proceeding my move away from Australia in 2008, but it remains one of the most talked-about legal cases that I can remember in my lifetime. For those outside of Australia, her name may be vaguely familiar, but for Australians over the age of 25 or so, it was a case that everyone had an opinion about. For anyone not familiar with the case, Schapelle was arrested in Indonesia, after more than 4 kilograms of marjuana was discovered in her boogie board bag by customs officials. Travelling with her younger brother and two friends, she was immediately arrested and languished for several months before being taken to trial. Convicted of attempting to smuggle the drugs into Indonesia, she was sentenced to 20 years in jail.Schapelle's story is incredibly readable, both for the fact that it's so incredibly horrendous, scary, and unimaginable as it is for the realistic, no-holding back portrayal of her life in prison. With exerpts of Schapelle's diary and from various newspaper reports, no matter what anyone's opinion is of whether she is guilty or innocent, it makes for terrifying reading. Even IF she is guilty, she's more than paid for her crime - and yet has only served half of her sentence so far. My one and only criticism of the writing style is the pre-emtive chapter endings - I'm really not a fan of the whole 'It was only going to get worse'-type sentence usage.As well as the trauma of serving a sentence in a jail with no running water, sleeping on a floor and having to rely almost solely on your family to bring you the things you need to survive from day to day because the authorities just don't provide it, there is also the media circus that Schapelle has almost constantly endured since her arrest. Until I had read Schapelle's story and seen some of the pictures included in the book, I hadn't fully appreciated how intrusive, upsetting and intense the local media presence became during the case. So, do I think Schapelle is innocent or guilty? Well, I'm going to take the easy way out and say Schapelle is the only person that truly knows, but I do think she has received a very raw deal, even if she is guilty. I also believe that she should be allowed to serve the remainder of her prison sentence in Australia, closer to her family and with adequate sanitation and medical facilities. The details of her trial and the revelations about her legal team, the standard of investigation by the Indonesian authorities, and the way that her trial was conducted should be enough to serve as a warning to anyone - it is, pretty much, a dogs breakfast.Enjoyed is the wrong word for this book - but it certainly opened my eyes to her case, how it was conducted and how the media can be so very brutal. I found this book interesting but also quite irritating. I agree that what schapelle went/is going through would be extremely traumatic but when I was reading the book I was thinking to myself, why are you allowing such morons to defend you in court? it was frustrating! if your lawyer is sending text messages during your court appearances, you sack them. I've been in court quite a few times, a while back and it's east to tell if you're lawyer is an idiot or not. also, almost every single page, she says how much she's crying and how innocent she is. I do believe she is innocent but at some stage you have to just get on with it. there's nothing you can do so ride it out! it's definitely worth a read but there's far better prison books out there.
What do You think about Schapelle Corby My Story (2006)?
Interesting story about life in a Balinese prison still on the fence as to her guilt
—alw2687
An interesting and detailed read on Schapelle's story after you should read Hotel K.
—lonelyangel
