Review by Pikasho Deka

Being incarcerated in prison has to be one of the most traumatic experiences anyone could undergo. Being jailed in a foreign country only compounds this tenfold. This is exactly what happened to William Tsung and Dreaming in Chinese: Memoirs from a Taiwanese Prison is his story. On 21 January 2016, MJIB agents ambushed William at the airport, and he was charged with smuggling, trafficking, sales, and possession of marijuana edibles. After a grueling court case, he was eventually given a two-year prison sentence. William had his life turned upside down, sharing cells with meth dealers, heroin smugglers, rapists, and all kinds of criminals. The biggest shock to him was the state of the justice system in Taiwan itself, as inhumane living conditions only exacerbated the self-destructive tendencies of many a cellmate.

Most justice systems all over the world are in dire need of reform. Dreaming in Chinese showcases how the incarceration of non-violent criminal offenders often results in the opposite of the desired effect. Prisoners not only fail to be rehabilitated but are also at risk of becoming more prone to addiction, self-harm, and other negative behavior. William Tsung gives a thorough and unflinching account of his life in a Taiwanese prison. In this book, Tsung shares his harrowing experiences that include surviving bed bugs and scabies, developing an addiction to pharmaceutical drugs, and navigating a corrupt and fundamentally dysfunctional justice system hostile to foreigners. Highly recommended.