Solitary: A Biography (National Book Award Finalist; Pulitzer Prize Finalist) -- Albert Woodfox

from PhilipJHunt

I rank it alongside "No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison" as a commentary on the corruptible nature of power. The carelessness with which political powers, bureaucratic systems, profit-making enterprises and racist belief inflict egregious and enduring violence beggars belief. ...

from pivic

When Albert Woodfox was incarcerated and sentenced to quite a stretch in jail, he didn't know what to think, really; he was a teenager who'd got muddled up in basic criminal teenage stuff. One of Woodfox's great strengths is his ability to express himself straightforwardly, without mucking up a l...

from muddyboy

This is the painful but ultimately inspirational story of a man's fight to overcome the cards he was dealt most of which weren't his fault. He is not a choirboy in his youth but ultimately what lands him in solitary confinement for forty years is a murder in prison that he did not commit. This bo...

from msf59

“Prison is designed to break one's spirit and destroy one's resolve. To do this, the authorities attempt to exploit every weakness, demolish every initiative, negate all signs of individuality—all with the idea of stamping out that spark that makes each of us human and each of us who we are. Our ...

from breic

Not a fan. First of all, it is not very well written or well edited. It goes into far too much detail, for example, on various court cases, even including extensive transcripts. All of that is unnecessary. Hinton's "The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row" is better written ...