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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
This was a bit too heavy of a read for me. We're getting ready for two graduations and a move, so I just couldn't focus on the events that happened to the author and his students. So, I went through and just read the letters they wrote. It's easy to write these boys off as just criminals (and they had committed crimes). But their letters showed that they all had events in their pasts that put them on a course that went downhill. They were all scared, and thought no one on the outside cared what happened to them. A very eye-opening book that reminds us people are not just what they seem on the surface.
This book was simply incredible. It was moving, gripping, entertaining, and real. It was amazing to read the words of these young men who had made decisions that put them in jail. They really had amazing insights. And a few of them had a great command of English. Hearing how these boys feel about their current place in life, how they got there, and what's in store from them was really food for thought. I enjoyed reading this book so much. It made me want to do something similar, find a way to volunteer. Definitely give this one a read.
Insightful, beautifully real, really makes you think about the lives of kids caught up in violence and more about the debate of the role of prisons: punishment, rehabilitation, both?
Mark Salzman gets stuck writing a novel, so he gets roped into a writing class held at a juvenile penitentiary center that doesn't change how he thinks about crime, criminals, or justice. But it does change how he thinks about himself and about how even youth who murder are genuine people with a lot of heartfelt writing to express.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
This novel is valuable for the insight into the thoughts and experiences of those in the juvenile justice system. It humanizes them.
My main criticism is that the structure of this book is quite repetitive.
Additionally, I am interested to know more about the boy’s who are mentioned in this book overall involvement of the making of it because it was never truly explained. Did they just consent to their works being published for the sake of their story heard? Or did they get any monetary benefits from this publication? Because the true value of this book is in the essays of the juveniles. The author’s framing and background that led to their essays was not the best writing and often fell flat because of it’s repetitiveness.
My main criticism is that the structure of this book is quite repetitive.
Additionally, I am interested to know more about the boy’s who are mentioned in this book overall involvement of the making of it because it was never truly explained. Did they just consent to their works being published for the sake of their story heard? Or did they get any monetary benefits from this publication? Because the true value of this book is in the essays of the juveniles. The author’s framing and background that led to their essays was not the best writing and often fell flat because of it’s repetitiveness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Murder
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
This book started out well, then fell into weak writing and a dull structure. I got half way through this one and decided that it's not worth my time to finish it. Am I missing a spectacular ending? Maybe. But if you haven't got me hooked by half way through, I will ask you to rewrite your book before I bother to get to the end.
You need to finish your job before asking me to finish your book.
You need to finish your job before asking me to finish your book.