San Quentin Rehabilitation Center residents housed in the general population find hidden jewels on mobile book carts in the housing unit day rooms.

Each month San Quentin’s main library donates about a dozen books to restock these carts in every housing unit. The books cover all genres of fiction and nonfiction and include New York Times best sellers.

SQRC resident James Wilson, 51, arrived a couple of months ago and considers himself an avid reader. Before his departure from Pelican Bay State Prison, Wilson was a library worker who oversaw approximately 3,000 unorganized books.

He said that seeing a book cabinet on his arrival here was a sign that this prison was on the right course. In the day room you pass the books before you get to the television and recreation table.

“A man once told me you can tell a lot about a person from the books he reads,” said Wilson.

SQRC’s main library provides a cart full of books to every housing unit for the people living inside. Residents are allowed to read these books free of charge without return dates. Most of the books are soft-covered and from a variety of different authors.

Resident Michael Vilkin, 74, has been housed at SQRC for six years. Since his arrival, he organized all the books by author and cover size. He has made it his daily responsibility to keep all the books in order.

“People are so unorganized and inconsiderate to others, making it extremely difficult for people to find the book they need,” said Vilkin.

On the cart he found a couple of books filled with jewels of historical information that connected him to his Soviet Union roots.

The book “Concise History of Communism of the Soviet Union” by author John Reshetarn Jr. helped Vilkin understand his cultural struggles. Coming from the Soviet Union in 1987, “I like to read books about my history. It makes me happy to remember that Ronald Reagan destroyed the evil empire, and I was able to come to America,” said Vilkin.

Famous historian St. Augustine once said, “The man who doesn’t read books travels very little.”   

The book carts are accessible throughout the entire day in the housing units, unlike the law library that only allows books to be checked out during work hours during the week when staff are available.

Residents can easily further their reading habit and gain more knowledge by having access to more free books that contain hidden jewels. 

“There is only a few things that distinguished people in life and one of them is knowledge,” said Wilson.