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Title: Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution (Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters)
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Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
List Price: $14.95
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| Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution (Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters) by Harper Perennial Interesting Read | I purchased this book on a whim and after reading the reviews of others, and after reading it I would recommend the book as well.
This is a compilation of a number of different stories written by women at the York Correctional Institution (and one teacher). What I found most interesting was what each woman chose to write about. Some wrote about their childhood or other history, others wrote about their time in prison. Those that wrote about their childhood gave us a glimpse into what "went wrong" that led to their crimes. Others that wrote about prison, opened our eyes to what these women must endure now. In some cases, prison was a safer place for them.
The only thing that I thought lacked from the book was the crimes and what made the women commit them. Lamb explains why these aren't included in the book, but still it left me wondering. For the women that killed their husbands, what one thing set them off the edge? | | Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution (Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters) by Harper Perennial We all live in Glass Houses | | I was completely captivated by this book. As you read, you feel so many emotions and become absorbed by each inmate's story and experiences. Most of all, I loved the books humanistic perspective. The stories allow you to see these women for more than just crimes they committed. They are woman, mothers, and sisters who were shaped by abusive childhoods/relationships, drug/alcohol addiction, poverty, racism, self esteem issues, pain, etc. I loved the photographs that were in the book of each inmate. Most were baby pictures, so you get to see them in their innocence, before society and societal pressures took hold of their lives. I felt a deep connection to this book and highly recommend it to others. | | Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution (Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters) by Harper Perennial Deeply moving and memorable | A lifelong Connecticut resident, I'd often driven past York Correctional Institution but never knew much about it. All I saw was a bleak-looking exterior. I never really paused to wonder about the people who lived there...until I read this book.
For the most part, the women of York Correctional Institution seem fated to be defined by the crimes they committed -- nothing more, nothing less. Then author Wally Lamb came along, offering them a chance to explore the life events that brought them to where they are today -- and more importantly, let the outside world gain a better understanding, too.
This volume includes 12 short stories -- 11 the work of ten inmates, and a final piece contributed by a teacher in the prison school. Despite the huge differences in the women's socioeconomic backgrounds and the crimes that engulfed their lives, several things remain constant throughout most of them. In short, unstable parenting, poverty, and sexual and physical abuse created many victims long before the women were faced with situations in which they victimized others. (This doesn't excuse their actions, of course, but simply sheds more light on their frames of mind and where they were coming from, both physically and emotionally.)
One of the stories that left the biggest impact upon me include "Snapshots of My Early Life," where Diane Bartholomew, convicted of homicide, details her childhood as the youngest of four children, abandoned by a father who continued to haunt their lives after his absence, leading to Barthomew's young pregnancy and marriage. Sadly, Bartholomew died of breast cancer in 2001 and never saw the publication of her work.
Each of the stories is accompanied by a large black and white photograph, providing a literal face to each woman's voice, as well as an epilogue, detailing a bit more about what happened after the woman's release (if applicable), or what happened between the time of the events detailed and the present day.
| | Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution (Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters) by Harper Perennial Never stereotype | | After reading this book, we have to be reminded that not everyone in prison is a bad person, although all have done bad things. All of the stories were heartwrenching, but one of the most disturbing was Diane Bartholomew's. What she must have endured during her marriage to an physical, mental and sexual abuser. These stories were haunting and very moving. We all have a testimony, but these women shared them with all who would read them. Powerful reading. | | Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution (Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters) by Harper Perennial Fantastic Book | | I am an avid reader and belong to a book club so I have read many good books but this was one of the best. I liked the author's previous book, She's Come Undone, so I knew his work when I purchased this one. It was lengthy, 891 pages, but it carried me along until the last page was read. Good writing and good storytelling made this a powerful essay on human strengths and weaknesses. | | Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution (Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters) by Harper Perennial Product Description | In a stunning work of insight and hope, New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb once again reveals his unmatched talent for finding humanity in the lost and lonely and celebrates the transforming power of the written word. For several years, Lamb has taught writing to a group of women prisoners at York Correctional Institution in Connecticut. In this unforgettable collection, the women of York describe in their own words how they were imprisoned by abuse, rejection, and their own self-destructive impulses long before they entered the criminal justice system. Yet these are powerful stories of hope and healing, told by writers who have left victimhood behind. In his moving introduction, Lamb describes the incredible journey of expression and self-awareness the women took through their writing and shares how they challenged him as a teacher and as a fellow author. Couldn't Keep It to Myself is a true testament to the process of finding oneself and working toward a better day. | | Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution (Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters) by Harper Perennial Amazon.com | | Any book that can give voice to the voiceless should be celebrated. No one feels this more strongly than Wally Lamb, editor of Couldn't Keep It to Myself, a collection of stories by 11 women imprisoned in the York Correctional Institution in Connecticut. Teacher and novelist Lamb was invited to head a writing workshop at York Correctional Institution in 1999. His somewhat reluctant acceptance soon turned into steadfast advocacy once the women in his charge began to tell their stories. Lamb maintains that there are things we need to know about prison and prisoners: "There are misconceptions to be abandoned, biases to be dropped." However, as heartfelt as his appeal is, nothing speaks more convincingly in this book than the stories themselves. Those collected here are disturbing and horrific. They reveal, often in graphic detail, the worst kind of abuse: incest, drug addiction, spousal violence, parental neglect, or incompetence. They're also testimony to what social workers and health care professionals have confirmed for years--that those who populate our prisons are often victims first themselves. Thus, the telling of these stories serves as a form of therapy. They are also sad accounts of the brutalities many suffer, yet few discuss: "One day I figured out a dying little girl lived inside of me, so I threw her a lifeline in the form of paper and pen." Considering the degradation the contributors have experienced both in and outside prison, the courage, candor, and honesty with which they speak truly make these stories, as difficult as they are to read, "victories against voicelessness--miracles in print." --Silvana Tropea |
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