No matter the restriction, the control mechanism or oppression, PEN America is a platform for authentic stories—voices that ring loud and free on the page. Jennifer Finney Boylan contributed to PEN’s latest publication Issue: 21 Mythologies, with Transfigured. It connects with incarcerated readers as she writes, “For a long time, I thought I didn’t exist...It was like walking on a long-deserted beach without any footprints.” Searching for identity is not limited to incarcerated people — agency is a normal, human want and need — it’s the … [Read more...] about PEN America releases Issue: 21 Mythologies
Book Review
Formerly incarcerated author, Donna Hylton
Donna Hylton, who was abused as a child, spent 27 years in prison and wrote a book about how she turned her life around. She said her mission today is to be “a voice for the silenced” women still in prison. At age 20, Hylton was sentenced to 25 years to life for her role as a nonviolent accessory to kidnapping and second-degree murder. She is finally freed. Hylton’s childhood was a living hell. She was abandoned by her mother in Jamaica, N.Y., at age 8, according to the article by The Glow Up. At that time, she was subjected to … [Read more...] about Formerly incarcerated author, Donna Hylton
“The Force” by Don Winslow
In the wake of the public demanding more transparency in police departments, The Force is a novel with characters led by police officer Denny Malone, who easily relates to people who’ve had questionable encounters with the criminal justice system. For many behind bars, the concept of justice and fairness is jaded by life experiences: evidence-planting cops, greedy con artists posing as legitimate businessmen, unscrupulous lawyers, and corrupt judges. All of these are elements of this fast-paced story. Author Don Winslow’s ability to … [Read more...] about “The Force” by Don Winslow
“Just Sit” by Sukeu and Elizabeth Novogratz
Authors Sukey and Elizabeth (Beth) Novogratz didn’t write their book on meditation exclusively for prisoners, but much of their approach seems tailor-made to deal with the issues we at San Quentin confront in our everyday lives. On August 1, they traveled from New York to the Q on a quest to discover how their approach to meditation could intersect with our programs. Just Sit: A Meditation Guidebook for People who Know They Should But Don’t emphasizes the importance of story and the writers alert readers to pay attention to the stories … [Read more...] about “Just Sit” by Sukeu and Elizabeth Novogratz
Becoming Ms. Burton: … by Susan Burton
Of the many memoirs that have landed on my desk, Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women (2010) is one of the most inspirational. In the foreword, writer Michelle Alexander sets the stage by drawing a comparison between the memoir’s author, Susan Burton, and the legendary Harriet Tubman. Tubman helped create the Underground Railroad for runaway slaves yearning to be free; Burton helps women held captive by our prison system make a constructive break for freedom and rebuild their lives. “African … [Read more...] about Becoming Ms. Burton: … by Susan Burton
Beyond the Messy Truth by Van Jones
Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart*How We Come Together (2017) is a frank reading of American-style democracy that encourages an honest debate on how to shape the country. Author Van Jones travels around the country, touting The Beautiful Work: Four Solutions that he says would clean up the “Messy Truth” concerning the way Americans came apart and what conservatives and progressives could do to find unity. Beyond the Messy Truth takes readers through a fact-based history that is hard to dispute. In 2016, American voters were fed up … [Read more...] about Beyond the Messy Truth by Van Jones
A look inside the bustling San Quentin prison library
Every day, the San Quentin State prison library is bustling with activity. Inmates might be ordering books from the clerks at the counter. Other inmates might be sitting at tables, reading books and talking among themselves. The windows in the librarians’ offices provide a glimpse of San Francisco Bay as well as the mountains. In the legal section, inmates pore over law books, which they can order from a slot through a window. They can also sit at a computer to research legal statutes or write briefs at one of the tables. The library … [Read more...] about A look inside the bustling San Quentin prison library
The Manson Women and Me; Monsters, Morality, and Murder by Nikki Meredith
It took Nikki Meredith more than two decades of prison visits, trips into the California desert, and prolonged research to knit her memories, reactions, opinions together and write the words that describe the crime and the punishment in The Manson Women and Me; Monsters, Morality, and Murder (2018). What makes The Manson Women and Me a compelling read is the close scrutiny Meredith applies to investigating the mindsets, before and after, of Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel, two of the three women at the center of the … [Read more...] about The Manson Women and Me; Monsters, Morality, and Murder by Nikki Meredith
Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein
Last month’s review, The Left Hand of Darkness, dealt with earthlings’ effort to increase the human galactic footprint. Ursula K. Le Guin took readers way, way into the future to tell a tale about humanizing other worlds. By comparison, authors of Saturn Run, John Sandford and Ctein peered just around the corner of time in Saturn Run, (2015) to tell a tale about Earth’s first alien contact. Everything takes place in the late 2060s after a large object headed to Saturn is spotted and is decelerating. What follows is a space race between the … [Read more...] about Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
When Ursula K. Le Guin died earlier this year, she left her fans a rich history of literature. In much of that literature she tackled humankind’s quest for dignity. Her stories make us think deeply about how we treat each other — most famously in her groundbreaking 1969 science fiction masterpiece, The Left Hand of Darkness. Le Guin was a courageous writer -- she wrote about sexuality, truth to power, and imperialism at a time when these topics were considered revolutionary. 25 percent of millennial-age American men think asking a woman who is … [Read more...] about The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin