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Today I thought that I’d share with you some of the books I’ve read recently and some that I’ve purchased, but have not managed to read yet. I was thinking that this could be a fun way to share several good books and to humanize the prisoner educator (prisoner who educates). After all, much of the time, the prisoner is thought of as a liar or a deceiver. While I don’t contest this for the general population, I do contest it for those of us who work hard to educate our fellow prisoners, along with educating ourselves. Hopefully my reading list will open eyes, hearts, and minds to the cause of prisoners who educate prisoners.

Without further ado, here is what’s currently on my bookshelf, and my thoughts on them:

America Is the Prison: Arts and Politics in Prison in the 1970s

By Lee Bernstein

I’m in the process of reading this stupendous title. I suppose that the idea of prisoners being able to affect change outside of the prison walls really interests me. While some of it is rather political, it is a superb read from the glory days of prisoners actually doing something to better themselves and the world around them. It is a very inspiring read and has even motivated me to do some research upon American prisons of the past. This book very well might have inspired me to write a book about the history of prison education.