Finding a Voice: The Practice of Changing Lives through Literature [Paperback]

Jean Trounstine (Author), Robert P. Waxler (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 047203040X | ISBN-13: 978-0472030408 | Publication Date: November 9, 2005

Disturbed by the lack of real success of prisons in reforming offenders, Robert Waxler, an English professor, and Judge Robert Kane, a former Massachusetts District Court justice, created Changing Lives Through Literature (CLTL)--an educational initiative for criminal offenders based on the idea that studying literature can transform lives. Since its founding in 1991, CLTL has won numerous awards and been featured in national media outlets like The New York Times, Parade Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, and the Today Show. The CLTL program has also been featured in the new book Every Book Its Reader: The Power of the Printed Word to Stir the World by Nicholas A. Basbanes.

In Finding a Voice, Waxler and Jean Trounstine (who extended CLTL to female prisoners in 1993) discuss the "how and why" of their unique alternative sentencing program. Along with describing the program's beginnings and the team approach that made CLTL a success, the authors also give a wealth of practical advice for other teachers. Their sample lesson plans, text suggestions, and discussion of controversies faced by CLTL show readers a way of approaching literature with alternative learners everywhere.

Jean Trounstine is an author, activist, and Professor of Humanities, Middlesex Community College (MA). Robert Waxler is Professor of English, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press/ESL (November 9, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047203040X
• ISBN-13: 978-0472030408
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,144,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a professor of humanities at Middlesex Community College in Lowell Massachusetts, and I specialize in writing, literature and theatre courses. I am never bored! I became a writer because of needing to write about working in prison. I needed to tell stories of the amazing women behind bars.

At Framingham Women's Prison in Massachusetts, I directed eight productions, including THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Drawing from music history, women's history, art, literature and drama, the program eventually earned college credit and was nominated for a prestigious Schwartz Award, considered by the Mass Foundation for Humanities as the most successful project funded in 1988. It is the basis of my first book SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS: THE POWER OF DRAMA IN A WOMEN'S PRISON, published by St. Martin's Press, 2001.

Prison work changed me, and I've written many articles about teaching offenders and been featured on The Today Show, All Things Considered-NPR, and The Connection. I co-edited an anthology of writings used in the Changing Lives Through Literature Program, published by Notre Dame Press, a program I helped to establish for women in Massachusetts (see cltl.umassd.com), where criminals are sentenced to a literature seminar and probation instead of jail. Because of that work, I also coauthored FINDING A VOICE: THE PRACTICE OF CHANGING LIVES THROUGH LITERATURE, published by the University of Michigan Press (which also recently published the paperback of SBB).

My first collection of poetry, ALMOST HOME FREE, a collection of poetry about the journey of cancer -- I'm a survivor -- was published by Pecan Grove Press in 2003 and received enthusiastically.

Most recently I've co-edited a book with Karen Propp, WHY I'M STILL MARRIED, published by Hudson Street Press, an imprint of Penguin, 2006. Essayists include a slew of great writers!

I live more happily than not with my husband in Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful book, November 20, 2005

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sam (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finding a Voice: The Practice of Changing Lives through Literature (Paperback)

This book gives an inspirational and practical account of the history and philosophy of the Changing Lives Through Literature program, a nationally recognized alternative sentenciing program started in Massachusetts. It offers strategies for teaching, detailed lesson plans, and a clear discussion about how to start a program in your area. A must read for anyone interested in using good books to help change lives.