32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Should be required reading for all Americans, September 26, 2010
Imagine serving 30 years in prison with no end in sight. Would you survive? Would you not just survive, but actually grow as a person?
While serving a sentence of life without the possibility of parole ("the other death sentence") in California's massive prison system, Kenneth Hartman morphed from a violent killer, "a 19-year-old thug from the blasted wasteland of South Los Angeles' urban, post-industrial decay," to an award-winning author, philosopher, and prison reformer.
The subtitle of his autobiography is "A Story of Redemption Behind Bars." But Mother California tells a story much bigger than one man's personal odyssey. Through Hartman, we witness how three decades of irrational, tough-on-crime rhetoric has plunged California's prisons into an abyss of despair, violence, and criminal recidivism, all the while bankrupting state governments.
Take Christmas. When Hartman first came to prison, in the early 1980s, the cellblocks were decked out in holiday lights, wreaths, and trees. Prisoners decorated their cells with holiday cards from loved ones, the Salvation Army donated candy and nuts, and, in the visiting room, "one of the old guys dressed up as Santa Claus for pictures with the kids and the young wives."
Within 15 years, holidays had been banished. Santa was gone, along with the decorations and treats. Every day resembled the last in its dreary monotony. "The walls are the same unadorned concrete every day of the year. My first Christmas at Tehachapi, one of the guards got on the public address system to tell us about the great meal he would soon be enjoying, the time he would be spending with his family. We didn't deserve to be with our families, he ranted, we were just where we belonged and have a hearty Merry (bleep) Christmas."
Watching helplessly as his beloved weight-training equipment is loaded onto the back of a flatbed truck, Hartman realizes "how far the advocates of punishment-for-the-sake-of-inflicting pain will go to turn the clock back" and erase the progressive reforms won by prisoners during the 1970s.
Hartman articulately chronicles the divergent impacts of this tough-on-crime politicking on daily life in prison. At Tehachapi, one of the newer prisons, guards are hyper-aggressive and controlling. At Lancaster, in contrast, the guards have ceded control, locking themselves in their control centers and allowing unchecked chaos and violence. The chapel becomes a crack house, the odors of marijuana and pruno (home-made liquor) fill the air, and almost everyone is high and destitute.
Hartman is not only an award-winning author, he is also an accomplished activist. Determined to put his accumulated wisdom and principles into practice, Hartman worked with other prisoners and non-custody staff to design a special program at Lancaster Prison called the Honor Yard. Founded in 2000, the program provides a separate community for 600 men who have committed to living productive lives in which they give back to the community and make amends for past wrongdoings. They must commit to abstaining from gangs, violence, drugs, and racism. Hartman is currently involved in a campaign to eliminate life sentences.
In a country that locks up 1 out of 100 adults, far more than any other nation on earth, and where one 1 of 11 prisoners is serving life, Hartman's eye-opening treatise should be on the required reading list for all high school and college students.
A longer version of this essay, with links to Hartman's online essays, is available at my forensic psychology blog, bit.ly/blogforensics.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read, November 19, 2009
This review is from: Mother California: A Story of Redemption Behind Bars (Hardcover)
I work in a prison, and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about a dark part of life that most people in the public know little about. The book is more than just a story of one man's life behind bars; it speaks to the unfortunate circumstances in which the State of California finds itself. Kenneth Hartman gives a very balanced view of the prison environment. He does not apologize for his life circumstances, yet he leaves the reader with a richer understanding of what it is like behind bars. There is a deep sadness that comes across in his writing, along with a message for reform of our current system of punishment. By delving into this fine read, one can readily see the need for prevention and reformation, and the difficulties of achieving redemption within the California prison system.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
