The Inmate by Freida McFadden

March 2, 2024

The Inmate by Freida McFadden

Nurse practitioner Brooke Sullivan takes a job at Raker State Prison out of desperation. She is warned not to develop a personal relationship with any of the inmates or give out any personal information. But Brooke does not disclose that she already know one of the inmates. Not only does she know him, she is responsible for him being in prison.

The synopsis for this book sounded really good, which is probably why I'm so disappointed in it. This is the second book that I read by this author (the other one was The Co-worker, which I felt was better, although it reminded me of Gone Girl). As other reviewers have noted, there is a strong YA feel. Brooke, the main character, gets dumber as the book goes on, almost as though she is reverting to her high school self. Yes, she's had a lot of trauma. But when she runs into the guy she sent to prison, who is now an inmate there, you can practically hear her underwear hitting the floor. The plot was too far-fetched with too many coincidences to ignore. Of course there had to be a corrupt prison guard and an evil Nurse Ratchett type. Not at all original. The epilogue was disturbing rather than satisfying. And in this century, who calls a child being raised by a single parent a bastard? Teens may enjoy her books, but I think I'm done with this author.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Prison infirmary

Pomegranate by Helen Elaine Lee

March 30, 2023

Pomegranate by Helen Elaine Lee

After four years of incarceration on a drug conviction, Ranita is about to be released. She longs to return to her two children, but release means leaving her partner Maxine behind. Once back in Boston, Ranita finds it increasingly difficult to avoid old habits and old companions. Ranita remembers her father giving her a pomegranate once. A pomegranate has chambers like a heart that are filled with beautiful jewel-like seed, full of juice that is sweet and tart at the same time, much like life.

Really slow moving story. I liked Ranita's visits with Drew but would have like to know more about why Geneva was the way she was, also about Maxine other than she is a militant black woman. I found the characters to be largely stereotypes. The characters and setting have been done before - nothing new here. Depressing.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

American Prison by Shane Bauer

March 3, 2023

American Prison by Shane Bauer

Investigative journalist Shane Bauer goes undercover for Mother Jones magazine as a corrections officer at a privately run prison in Louisiana to find out about conditions for both prisoners and guards. He details the fear he experienced daily, the brutal and often stupid rules that officers were expected to enforce, the poor living conditions, and how prisoners were routinely humiliated and denied basic needs such as meals and medical care. After four months as a guard, Bauer resigned when his cover was unintentionally blown by a photographer trying to get photos for the article. Although he himself had been a prisoner for almost a year in Iran, Bauer actually excelled as a guard and was singled out for a promotion and advanced training, gaining insight into how guards in concentration camps become detached from their actions and are able to commit increasingly horrific acts, in the name of following orders. He found the whole experience dehumanizing for both guards and prisoners, and details how both groups become institutionalized.

Like many other readers, I had no idea that there were privately run prisons in the U.S. - I thought all prisons were run by government, either federal, state, county or municipal. The privatization of prisons is largely so that they are run for profit, and many of the "skills" that they teach prisoners have no transferable value outside prison (did you know that virtually all Braille books are produced by prisoners? If there is no company outside of prison that makes Braille books, this is a useless skill with no value outside of prison). Bauer also discusses recidivism in the epilogue, following up with some prisoners to see how they are managing after being released from prison, finding that most convicts who had been in prison for lengthy sentences were released back into society with no resources for making the transition, often falling back into criminal activities.

Winn Correctional Center in north central Louisiana

Barker House by David Moloney

February 15, 2020

Barker House by David Moloney

Nine correctional officers work at Barker House, a for-profit county jail in New Hampshire.  Both the correctional officers and the inmates' lives are a series of repetitious days, filled with boredom that is broken up by the occasional violent or sexual event.

This novel takes the form of interconnected stories about the correctional officers - some officers appear once, others are recurring characters.  There is a contrast between the dread of incarceration and the dread of freedom, emphasizing the repetitious nature of both states.  Written by a former correctional officer, it certainly doesn't paint a flattering picture of prison guards.  I found it to be somewhat unsatisfying since there is no resolution to most of the characters' stories.  Like many works of literary fiction, the book just ends without really having a plot.  

The writing is evocative and very descriptive.  At times, there is a high level of violence, so this isn't going to be a book that I will recommend to our readers without being sure they can handle the brutality.  

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in return for a review.