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heartofoak1's review
2.0
rant the gamut from interesting to disturbing. the works that comprise the collection are all by women incarcerated in York prison. to be honest, i found the prefact by author wally lanb to be the most interesting part of the book.
marthagal's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the last essay in this book. Barbara Parsons describes in heart-wrenching detail what it's like to be an inmate, to be "a piece of meat." It brings a human understanding to those that are incarcerated, regardless of the crimes committed by them to get there.
The other essays I liked but was not bowled over by.
The other essays I liked but was not bowled over by.
ari__s's review against another edition
3.0
I loved Couldn't Keep It To Myself and I love the mission of rehabilitation and self expression that founds this set of books; however, I'll Fly Away fell a little flat for me. That being said, it was still powerful, empowering, and important. My biggest critique, though, was the formatting. Couldn't Keep It To Myself was set up so there were photographs with quick blurbs of who the woman was before heading into her narrative. While I'll Fly Away may be making a point of it not mattering what crime was committed, it almost loses the power of the person telling the story by making her faceless and detached. By the time I reached these biographical blurbs at the back, I was bored by the way they were all clustered together in largely the same format. I think that putting them with the stories, that change alone would have made this compilation significant more poignant and impactful.
runani15's review
5.0
Absolutely heart wrenching at times and beautiful in others. This is definitely a book I will return to. The different authors all had their own unique voices and made this a very fast read.
books_under_blankets's review
4.0
I love writing the gives me a perspective on a life I have never experienced, and this was wonderful for that.
Some of the pieces were too short for me to actually feel connected to them, but most were the perfect length. I got insight into the reasons women find themselves as prisoners and some of the realities of prison life for these women. There was a lot I didn't know or realize about prison life, and it was interesting to learn the things these women now take as standard parts of their lives.
I wish the ebook had done a better job of explaining that there were biographies of each woman at the end of the book. I found myself having troubling connecting each writer to her story. I could remember repeating names as authors, but couldn't remember what their other story was. If those bios had been at the beginning of the book, or possibly at the end of each story, it would have helped to connect more. The story that did add a follow up notation at the end was one of the most memorable for me.
Some of the pieces were too short for me to actually feel connected to them, but most were the perfect length. I got insight into the reasons women find themselves as prisoners and some of the realities of prison life for these women. There was a lot I didn't know or realize about prison life, and it was interesting to learn the things these women now take as standard parts of their lives.
I wish the ebook had done a better job of explaining that there were biographies of each woman at the end of the book. I found myself having troubling connecting each writer to her story. I could remember repeating names as authors, but couldn't remember what their other story was. If those bios had been at the beginning of the book, or possibly at the end of each story, it would have helped to connect more. The story that did add a follow up notation at the end was one of the most memorable for me.
bartendm's review against another edition
4.0
The quality of the writing varies with different authors of this book, but what is great is that they are real stories of real people. If you ever wondered how sometimes life could get ahead of you and end you up in prison, this book is for you. I volunteer in a different women's prison and these stories are not unique. Sometimes what ends one person in prison for a very long time and another one a normal life, is often just luck, and sometimes monetary resources. God bless Wally Lamb and his co-workers for the wonderful work they do and for bringing these womens' stories to light.
jessferg's review
3.0
Despite the intro explaining the writing group at York Prison, I had a hard time deciding what the point of this book was. That's not to say it wasn't a worthwhile read but I do have some issues with the way the book itself is handled. One is that in many short story/essay style books, there will often be a list of contributors somewhere on the cover, but in this case what we really get is a single name on the cover, and that person happens to be the editor. I certainly don't mean to diminish Lamb's participation in and dedication to the program but if this is meant to be for the women of the prison, shouldn't his name be the aside and not the focus?
It is particularly noticeable because the stories are extremely personal and yet all of the contributor's bios are bunched at the end instead of with each piece where connection and credit would make the most sense. A friend pointed out that perhaps this was intentional since one goal of the project is to remind us that these prisoners are humans, not the embodiment of their crime.
As is to be expected in a book with 20 or so authors, the writing here is inconsistent but none of the pieces rely on writing skill to get their message across. With the exception of perhaps 3-4, every story is heartbreaking, frustrating, exhausting, infuriating, shocking, and startlingly identifiable.
This isn't a book to pick up for a "light read" but it is a great book club selection, and certainly a book that is sensitive to how sexual and domestic abuse makes double victims out of so many.
It is particularly noticeable because the stories are extremely personal and yet all of the contributor's bios are bunched at the end instead of with each piece where connection and credit would make the most sense. A friend pointed out that perhaps this was intentional since one goal of the project is to remind us that these prisoners are humans, not the embodiment of their crime.
As is to be expected in a book with 20 or so authors, the writing here is inconsistent but none of the pieces rely on writing skill to get their message across. With the exception of perhaps 3-4, every story is heartbreaking, frustrating, exhausting, infuriating, shocking, and startlingly identifiable.
This isn't a book to pick up for a "light read" but it is a great book club selection, and certainly a book that is sensitive to how sexual and domestic abuse makes double victims out of so many.
brivnnv's review
5.0
Gruesome. Heart wrenching. Vouyeristic.
These women write from their heart of hearts. Writings range from poetry about friends, an innocent memory of their childhood, the recollection of their guilty verdict, and a narration of how they imagine their execution to be.
I think this is an important read. All too often society forgets incarcerated people are people too.
These women write from their heart of hearts. Writings range from poetry about friends, an innocent memory of their childhood, the recollection of their guilty verdict, and a narration of how they imagine their execution to be.
I think this is an important read. All too often society forgets incarcerated people are people too.