pickSadly none of the five facilities he ended up serving his 9 year sentence in had any sort of rehabilitation programs. He was left on his own to maintain his sanity while also becoming an adult. Fortunately he had books that helped along the way though they were only part of his journey. After his release he attended Yale and becomes the founder of the FreedomReads.org program. This was very well written and enlightening. I highly recommend.
"And the thing was, the victims race was the whole point of the story. White cop, white victim. It didn't matter if the gun, the fear, the robbery didn't resolve the oppression that was felt as much as that we were passing on to each other a warped way of dealing with anger that we didn't know we had."
pickA contemplative read about finding your place and offering a way to be that, in light of the world today, seems to make a lot of sense. This read was in stark contrast to Blood Meridian that I am reading also. These two books couldn‘t be further apart- this full of love kindness and respect- McCarthy‘s book a stream of blood, betrayal and depravity. This is a read that fixes.
pickThis was a compelling read/listen. Blakinger‘s personal story is intense, trauma-filled, and privilege-aware, and it merits a content warning/quick check of The StoryGraph or similar if you avoid certain topics. Her writing is fantastic, and I‘ve recently enjoyed following her on social media due to her deep commitment to raising awareness about/promoting change within the incarceration system.
so-so#UnpopularOpinion Ive seen many glowing reviews for this memoir but I never fully warmed to Keri. As a competitive pairs skater her life was full of discipline and determination yet the minute she was presented with a setback she did a complete 180. I had a difficult time understanding her decisions & mindset. I applaud her honesty and the ability to come back from the brink of hell and once again turn her life around.👇🏼
Michael Printz Award Book
April 21st, 1999
Monster is a novel that discuses a trial about a 16-year-old that is on trial for killing a store owner. This book is a young adult book that gives an overview of the trial and all the details from the trial.
pickThe author‘s life swings from successful teenage ice-skating, to drug addiction, to Cornell University then to jail.
This was a really interesting listen; I learned a lot about the prison system in the US, even though the author was very aware that her white privilege meant that her experience was better than most.
My only slight niggle was the jumpy timeline, perhaps more difficult on audio to figure out where in her life we were.
pickCoretta Scott King Award - Monster was a very good book. This book is a ‘banned‘ book but I really liked the plot through it all. A 16 year old boy (Steve) and his friend are put on trial for murder and robbery. Steve throughout the journey thought of the process as a ‘movie‘. Towards the end of the bool we find out that Steve was not guilty of his charges.
pickMy IRL book group chose this one and all agreed it‘s harrowing and bleak. The author is from our hometown and some group members have connections to her family. If you love a memoir where the MC starts out privileged but bottoms out, then this is for you. Despite that, Blakinger has focus and drive amidst the chaos and is now an advocate for the (current or formerly) incarcerated.
Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022
