Eight New Prison-Related Books

[nattyreb]

Thumbnail Book Reviews is a service to bookreaders and
librarians, providing the deepest discounts for books
on specialized subjects. In this edition, we are
pleased to present the following eight prison-related
nonfiction books. To order, follow the instructions at
the end of each review. As always, your comments and
suggestions are appreciated.
ThumbnailReview@Netscape.net

1. CELLING AMERICA'S SOUL: Torture & Transformation in
our Prisons by Judith Trustone and seven prisoners --
Called by prisoners the "best book in print that
describes prison from every perspective," this
collection of raw, provocative stories by a writing
teacher and her imprisoned students covers the effect
of incarceration on families, alternatives to the
current correctional system, enlightened approaches in
other countries, and suggestions for further reading.
It celebrates creativity and transformation in prison.
Reservations: The book provides little
documentation. 322 pages, 5 1/2 x 8, softbound$19.95 &
$2.50 s&h. Order from Box 215, Swarthmore, PA 19081;
SageWriters@comcast.net; 610 - 328-6101; or
www.SageWriters.com.

2. PRISONS ALMANAC 2005 -- This is a convenient
reference for both the casual reader and the serious
researcher. It covers the latest statistics on prisons
in America, predictions of changes in the penal and
criminal justice systems, advice from experts, and
reprints of the best prison-related news stories of
the previous year. Contributors include prison
psychologist Laura Tahir; Ted Wallman, a warden turned
college professor; documentary filmmaker Slawomir
Grünberg; and ex-prisoner, now social worker Dan
Smith. People who have never experienced prison life
will find this book insightful. Reservations:
Statistics could have been more helpfully presented in
appendices rather than in the text. 203 pages, 8 1/2
by 11, $68 hardbound, $58
spiralbound, includes s&h. Order from the Prisons
Foundation, 1718 M Street NW, #151, Washington, DC
20036; phone 202-393-1511, fax 727-538-2095 ;
or www.PrisonsFoundation.org.

3. LEAVING DEATH ROW by Reginald S. Lewis -- This
is a skillfully crafted collection of poems that skip
from standard English to hip hop to street patois to
prison jargon. Written by an award-winning poet,
essayist and playwright who has spent twenty years on
death row, it tells how it feels to be sentenced to
death: "memories escaping this low-slung mass of steel
and stone and bullet-proof glass. " An inspirational
work, it demonstrates the power of the human mind to
transform even the worst of circumstances.
Limitations: This book does not address moral or
legal issues or the criminal justice process. Leaving
Death Row--105 pages, 5 1/2 x 8, softbound $12 plus
p&h. Order from 1st Books, 2511 W. 3rd St, Suite 1
Bloomington, IN 47404; www.1stbooks.com.

4. PRISONS HELP SOURCEBOOK-- This is a comprehensive
collection of resources for those in prison and
the people who interact with them: family,
friends, correctional staff, researchers, writers,
students, and advocates. It includes: * A
resource directory of legal help, pen pals,
books, medical advocacy, prison reform, religious
support, and general information. * A checklist
of items that can be taken into prison. * A
resource guide for wardens -- what it takes to
run a prison well. * A guide to popular films
about prison life and training videos for prison
staff. * A prison memoir. * Annotated
bibliographies of nonfiction and fiction books
about prison life. Limitations: Prison and
correctional jargon is unexplained. 406 pages, 8
1/2 by 11, $85 hardbound, $75 spiralbound,
includes s&h. Order from the Prisons Foundation,
1718 M Street NW, #151, Washington, DC 20036;
phone 202-393-1511, fax 727-538-2095; or
www.PrisonsFoundation.org.

5. CONTEMPLATIONS OF A CONVICT: A Journey To Freedom
When Innocence Isn't Enuf by Anton Forde/Trevor
Mattis -- This collection of essays, poems and
aphorisms is described as "noteworthy" by the
Black Issues Book Review. Written by a Jamaican-born
prisoner who came to the U.S. to go to college, this
work offers analyses of racial, sexual and class
issues, political commentary, and musings on love,
religion and the state of "America's soul." Forde's
voice has been described as "intelligent and humorous,
sarcastic and sweet." A lifer who has always
proclaimed his innocence, he was once beaten so badly
by guards his face had to be reconstructed.
Limitations: The book is unified by the author's
persona alone. Contemplations of a Convict---184
pages, 5 1/2 x 8, softbound $14.95 & $2.50 p&h. Order
from Box 215, Swarthmore, PA 19081;
SageWriters@comcast.net; 610-328-6101; or
www.SageWriters.com.

6. PRISONERS RIGHTS RESOURCE GUIDE --- A
comprehensive guide to the rights of prisoners,
the responsibilities of staff, and the standards
by which prisons operate, the book provides
plain-English summaries and full texts of dozens of
recent and landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions
(through 2004). It also includes: * An overview of
prisoners rights. * An American Bar Association
analysis of ways to improve prisons. * A report by the
U. N. on international prison standards. * A glossary
of legal terms. This book works well for activists,
researchers, writers, corrections officials, the
families of inmates, and prisoners themselves.
Limitations: The text frequently relies on legal
terms; the glossary defining them is at the end. 507
pages, 8 1/2 by 11, $94 hardbound, $84 spiralbound,
includes s&h. Order from the Prisons Foundation, 1718
M Street NW, #151, Washington, DC 20036; phone
202-393-1511, fax 727-538-2095; or
www.PrisonsFoundation.org.

7. PRISON ARTISTS AND THEIR WORK -- This colorful
book profiles more than 80 prison artists working
inside prisons and jails in every sector of the
United States. It reproduces hundreds of their
works, many in full color, including drawings,
paintings, handkerchief and envelope art,
woodworking, leathercraft, and textile art. In
separate and frequently frank sections, the artworks
and their meaning to the artists are described in the
artists own words. Includes an introductory overview
of prison art, an artist index, and 71-minute CD of
music made in prison. Reservations: A hand-crafted
book, some of the color reproductions are of limited
quality. 328 pages, 8 1/2 by 11, $137 hardbound, $127
spiralbound, includes s&h. Order from the Prisons
Foundation, 1718 M Street NW, #151, Washington, DC
20036; phone 202-393-1511, fax 727-538-2095; or
www.PrisonsFoundation.org.

8. HEALING OUR IMPRISONED MINDS: A People's Guide to
Hope & Freedom by Patrick Middleton, Ph.D., prisoner
#AK-3703--An inspirational, advice-filled and
self-help volume, this book offers the reader
techniques for leading a productive life in any
circumstance, in prison or in the outside world,
whether the bars are metal or mental. In prose
described as "smooth, eloquent and graceful," the
author, the only prisoner in America to have earned
his B.A., M.A. & Ph.D. while imprisoned, provides a
healing journey. Issues addressed include the pride,
arrogance and stubbornness that prevent us from
solving disputes and problems. This book is a useful
tool for
classrooms, universities, libraries, correctional
settings, and corporate boardrooms. Limitations:
Includes few details about the author's own life
behind bars. Healing Our Imprisoned Minds--129 pages,
5 1/2 x 8, softbound $14.95 & $2.50 p&h. Order from
Box 215, Swarthmore, PA 19081;
SageWriters@comcast.net;
610 - 328-6101; or www.SageWriters.com.