Women Outside the Walls, a Novel [Kindle Edition]

Trisha Sugarek (Author)

Book Description

Alma, Kitty and Hattie have one thing in common. The men they love and married are in prison.

This story focuses on three women. In a series of flash backs we explore the experiences of these women when they lived normal lives with their husbands and children. The plot explodes when Chelsea, Alma and Charlie’s daughter, disappears. One visiting day something happens that will change each of their lives forever as the visiting room erupts in violence and heartbreak.

Alma is an exotic dancer who seems, at first glance, to be a bit of a nitwit. But on closer inspection she has a street-smart wisdom and humor. Hattie is a hard working African American woman, with four children, who is trying to keep her family together. Then there is Kitty a wealthy socialite, who in spite of the shame and embarrassment when her husband refuses to see her, visits the prison doggedly every week.


Year after year, holiday after holiday they sit with their men, cheerful and supportive on the outside while dying on the inside. These families do ‘hard time’ right along with their men.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Not {as we say here in the UK} quite like the home life of our dear young Queen, but rich in character and place. A good read and a real eye-opener on the reality of prison life.'
--Ann Purser,  Author of the Lois Meade Mysteries

From the Author

  A few years ago I visited a state prison for men in Illinois. My first time ever, doing research for one of my plays.  I was visiting a confessed murderer, Bill, and writing his story. Cook County Justice was about an innocent man who, at that time, had served fifty years. I sat in the reception area, very nervous and scared; much like Kitty in the beginning of this story.
I was deeply moved by the nameless women around me who come to visit their men. One woman told me that she was visiting her son and had been coming once a month and every holiday for thirteen years. During another time in her life she had faithfully visited her husband for fifteen years while he served time. Many of the children I saw had spent their growing up years in a visiting room behind bars.
  The process that I write about [and went through] is accurate in this story. Most notable about the visiting room  was the frustration, anger and fear. The air was thick with rage and disappointment emanating from inmates and their families.
There seemed to be two types of prisoners; ones like Bill who were 'keep your head down, don't make any waves, and speak in a monotone voice' kind. And the other type who were aggressive 'in your face' bullies and troublemakers who were always running a hustle.
As I sat there interviewing 'my murderer' I was struck on a visceral level about how these women coped year after year.  How did they come to be here?  Was it a simple matter of choosing the wrong men?  Did they grow up with the same dreams most women have about living with a good husband and raising wonderful children?  As I sat there I wondered; where did it all go so terribly wrong?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 334 KB
• Print Length: 333 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1453715010
• Publisher: Create Space (November 5, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0063XH5CY
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #878,290 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great November 14, 2011

By sww

Format:Paperback

I Couln't put it down. Going back and forth to Now and the past really heald my attention. Loved the characters. I'm ready for her next book.
Sw

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An unforgettable story November 29, 2011

By David M. Wanzie

Format:Paperback

I recently picked up a copy of this book because the story seemed unique and I thought it might have that certain "drama" associated with criminals & their families. Boy I got so much more than I expected; I immediately coaxed my fiance to read it with me. It became the focal point of a large portion of our conversations - you know, the characters became personal to us - we couldn't wait to read how each story unraveled. My fiance and I are both avid readers and love a good story. So take our advice and dive into a story that you most definitely won't forget - Lost in Fiction

5.0 out of 5 stars Women Outside The Walls December 10, 2012

By L. Smaltz

Format:Paperback

Women Outside the Walls: A Novel Many things need to be known to those who turn their head about the support that faithful females lend to their prison inmates, would you listen if they told you themselves?

Perhaps you are unable to imagine this? The writer clears that up with dialogue based on actual experiences. As she tells each woman's story , the reader feels as if they are part of the experience. The good, the bad, and unpredictable.

More About the Author

Author, playwright, and poet, Trisha Sugarek has been writing for four decades. Her writing had focused on stage plays that ranged from prison stories to children's fables. She has expanded her body of work to include two books of poetry, a group of children's books and her debut novel, "Women Outside the Walls".

She has enjoyed a thirty year career in theatre as an actor and director. Originally from Seattle, she has worked in theatres from coast to coast and her plays have been produced across the country and abroad. Trisha lives in Savannah, Georgia with her two golden retrievers and her kitten, Wild Thang. She is currently at work on her second novel, "Wild Violets".

Released in 2012, a series of 26 "ShortN'Small" short plays, small casts which are used in classrooms in this country and internationally. Trisha has written 45 play scripts.

Her children's books are in AUDIO-books now for your smart phone or iPad. Stanley, the Stalwart Dragon is first and is available on amazon.com, iTunes.com and audible.com.

She has published "Monologues 4 Women" a collection of original, contemporary soliloquies for the strong female actor. Several are written specifically for the African-American actress. A chapter on the 'dos and don'ts' of auditioning and several classical monologues completes the collection.


Trisha's plays and books can be found on her web site at: www.writeratplay.com