This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life by Nigel Poor, Earlonne Woods

4.33 AVERAGE

gariangm's review against another edition

5.0
emotional funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
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zoes_human's review against another edition

4.0
challenging informative medium-paced
A great read for fans of the podcast. Includes some excerpts from broadcasted shows, but also lots of fresh material. Gave greater insight into how and why the show was created as well as the personal stories of Earlonne and Nigel.
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estam1's review against another edition

5.0
love the podcast, loved the book
nanette's profile picture

nanette's review against another edition

5.0
Listen to the audiobook if you can—it’s fantastic.

kesnit's review against another edition

5.0
This review is of the audiobook version.

I have been listening to the Ear Hustle podcast for a few years, so was really excited for this book. I was even more excited when I realized it is read by Nigel and Earlonne. I was not disappointed. This book is like listening to an extended podcast. The hosts have their normal, incredible rapport that makes the podcast fun, entertaining, and educational. It also gives a lot of background that gives context (how Earlonne ended up in prison, how Nigel ended up volunteering at San Quentin, how the podcast got going).

There are some repeats from podcast episodes, which are listed in the afterword. Those flashbacks do not feel like filler, but add to the story they are telling.

Having said that, this book is very specialized. Some familiarity with the podcast would probably help in understanding the book.
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vortacist's review against another edition

4.5
challenging emotional medium-paced
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sugy's review against another edition

4.25
dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

krisreadseverything's review against another edition

5.0
challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

kellymannion's review against another edition

5.0
informative reflective fast-paced

astronut's review against another edition

5.0
challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
If you enjoy listening to the Ear Hustle podcast, you will definitely enjoy this book, which give insights into the podcast’s origin as well as interview transcripts. I would say that if you don’t know the podcast, it may be hard to get into the book. 
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