A review by bibliostatic
Letters from the Dhamma Brothers: Meditation Behind Bars by Jenny Phillips

3.0

It's a shame this book isn't more captivating. The companion documentary is fabulous, and the beginning and end of this book supplement the documentary, but the central part of the book is too vague and repetitive to hold much interest. A few of the letters give concrete examples of the challenges faced by the prisoners who underwent the Vipassana training, but most of them simply say things like "it's hard."

It's unfortunate because the substance of what the book is trying to portray, the transformative effect the training had on the prisoners, is hidden behind walls of meaningless generalities. Here's hoping for a better update someday in the future.