Customer Reviews

A World Apart: Women, Prison, and Life Behind Bars

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This refreshingly honest book dramatically opened my eyes about the plight of women in prisons today. With thoughtful discussions of previous methods of handling women prisoners, the author brings us to today's problems overwhelmingly caused by mandatory sentencing for drug offenders. I finished the book wondering how I could be part of the solution for getting these women, who are likely mothers, out of the care of the state and back to taking care of their children, their lives, and their futures. This book brings the stories of the women profiled alive, and does not hold back in discussing difficult topics regarding the situation in the women's prison profiled. I highly recommend this book.

As a volunteer in a women's prison, I found this book helpful and accurate. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in this issue. The book is very readable, and I plowed through it quickly. The individual stories of women profiled were enlightening, and I particularly enjoyed the historical perspective on incarceration of women. (Thanks to the historical perspective provided by this book, I am now quite sensitive to adult female prison inmates referred to as "girls" or "gals.")

Unfortunately, I think the book's scope is limited by the lack of access extended to the author by prison administrators. This doesn't work out in the prison's favor -- there are aspects of prison life left to the imagination, and if the prison researched for this book is similar to the prison I visit, the imaginings forced by the prison's handling of this author may be worse than the reality. A lack of transparency compounds the social issues that come to roost in our nation's prisons.

I recommend this book. If this is a topic close to your heart, don't miss "Couldn't Keep It To Myself," Wally Lamb's collection of short stories penned by women in prison.

I sent this book to the prison and there are many waiting in line to read this outstanding book.

This book is well-researched by a sensitive, compassionate, empathetic and committed journalist. She brings to life the women of MCI-Framingham, their lived experiences, before, during and sometimes after prison. She is so deeply sensitive to the plight of the children of these women, and the dual suffering of parents and children, that this book is unmtached in terms of these topics in the majority of prison literature. This book is a compassionate, sincere and humanizing narrative, should be read by all, so that we can ACT in humanizing those in prison, especially women, who are often imprisoned for crimes, historically and currently, that men would rarely if ever be convicted of or imprisoned for. This book is a call to action, on behalf of the rights of women, children, and all those incarcerated.

This is a great book!

The author interviewed and really became friends with lots of women behind bars in order to write this book. She tells their stories very well. It was very often a riveting read and a page-turner as I was constantly wondering what would happen next to these women. I feel like I now have a better idea of what women in prison go thru: being separated from their children, having flings with guards, dealing with the system, and trying to get family to understand.

Coincidentally, as soon as I finished reading the women-in-prison books I ordered, a woman came into my life who had just been released from prison! (Actually, I don't believe in coincidences. I think there's a reason for everything!) Maybe I can understand just a bit better than most what she has been through.

Note: This book was not what I was looking for. I wanted a memoir, a first-hand account of what life is prison is like. Gotta keep looking . . .

I read this book for a research project. I felt the book was very well written and delved deeply into the lives of female inmates as it pertains to life inside a correctional facility. Would suggest this book to anyone who is interested in finding out more information on the society that exists inside a female correctional facility and how they relate to the outside world.

EXCELLENT !!! , THANK YOU !!! THIS BOOK SHOULD BE READ !!! THIS BOOK SHOULD BE HEARD !!! PEOPLE MUST KNOW / FEEL , WHAT HAPPENS TO LEAD UP TO ----- & , ALSO,-- THE IN-HUMAN , TREATMENT IN PRISONS MUST END NOW !!!. BEING LOCKED-UP IS GREAT PUNISHMENT ENOUGH !!! . - ----NOW PRISONS , SHOULD BE SAFE FOR INMATES !!! . - HEALTY , GOOD FOOD,!!! & JAIL CELLS, ONE TO A PERSON & OF DECENT SIZE , WITH WINDOW /S . OR -- MUST HAVE LARGE SETTINGS, A DECENT LARGE SPACE OPEN FOR GROUPS OF PEOPLE , TOGETHER AND WINDOW/S . ALSO , LARGE , OPEN SPACES , TO WORK-OUT , GYMS & FAMILY VISTS ,WITH CONTACT , SO A PARENT CAN HOLD THEIR CHILD , KISS THEIR PARENTS , ECT .... - MOTHERS & CHILDREN , TOGETHERNESS !!! THERPY GROUPS ,- EDUCATION - CLASSES , - THE ARTS , MUSIC CLASSES , THEATRE , SPORTS , THE PRISON SYSTEM SHOULD ENGAGE IN HELPING PEOPLE TO : LEARN, GROW , CHANGE , START OVER , BEGIN FOR THEIR LIFE ON THE OUTSIDE !!! NOBODY , SHOULD BE USED , ABUSED AND HURT, EVER , IN PRISONS , BY GUARDS, COPS, THE STATE , OR THE GOVERNMENT !!! & PEOPLE WHO ARE IN PRISON , ARE ABUSED & THIS MUST END NOW !!! --- BECAUSE , OF BOOKS LIKE THIS , PEOPLE WILL KNOW !!! WE MUST UNITE & ORGANIZE , TO MAKE PRISONS , A PLACE TO GROW & CHANGE !!! WE MUST HELP OUR BROTHERS & SISTERS & CHILDREN , WHO ARE IN PRISONS , KNOW / FEEL , THEY ARE NOT FORGOTTON !!! ALSO , WE, ON THE OUT-SIDE , MUST NOT FORGET , OUR PEOPLE IN - THE PRISONS , EITHER !!! WE MUST GIVE LOVE & FORGIVENESS NOW !!! HEY , AMERICA GOVERMENT , NO MORE WAR - FOR OIL !!! LETS PUT MONEY INTO THE PRISON SYSTEM - TO EDUCATE !!! & LOVE & CARE !!! -----P.S. ALSO , THERE ARE ALOT OF INNOCENT PEOPLE IN PRISON TOO !!! WHO SHOULD NOT BE THERE !!! THEY SHOULD BE OUT, NOW !!! ----------- ALSO ,SOME PEOPLE ARE JUS, REAL POOR ,( LIKE ST.FRANCIS OF ASSISI,& ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST , NOT POOR IN SOUL OR SPIRIT , POOR, IN NO MONEY ) SO , NO GOOD LEGAL HELP & ONE GETS ABUSED & USED , BY THE SYSTEM !!! & THEY SERVE , SENTENCES , THAT IF THEY HAD MONEY , WOULD BE DISMISSED . LETS HELP THEM NOW !!! & PUT A END , TO THIS , NOW !!! --- ALSO , I DO NOT BELIEVE / FEEL , ALL CHARGES , SHOULD BE A CRIME , EITHER !!! I THINK/FEEL SOME CASES , ARE NOT A CRIME !!! , IN DOING THAT , THE GOVERMENT LIES !!! ---- SOME LAWS , MUST CHANGE !!! THEY ONLY HURT THE POOR !!! $$$ THE RICH DO IT , BUT , THEY DONT GET HASSELED , CAUGHT OR CHARGED $$$ ----- THE AMERICAN GOVERMENT ALSO DOES MANY,MANY , MANY MURDERING & EVIL CRIMES !!! ALOT OF COPS & THE COURTS, LIE !!! & ALSO , ARE VERY EVIL !!! & MURDER !!! & YES , THEY DO !!! ,"HEY ITS IN BOOKS", THE HISTORY BOOKS ,( A BOOK & EXCELLENT FILM , JUS ABOUT THIS IS : MISSISSIPPI BURNING ). ALSO , BIOGRAPHIES , A EXCELLENT & IMPORTANT BOOK , A WORLD APART , BY : CRISTINA RATHBONE . & FICTION BOOKS, HERE'S A FICTION BOOK & MOVIE , THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION , BY : THE WRITER , STEPHEN KING & THE FILM STARRING , THE GREAT ACTOR , MORGAN FREEMAN , & ALSO , ANOTHER BOOK & GREAT FILM , THE GREEN MILE , BY: STEPHEN KING , & THERE IS MORE & MORE !!! , & COMEDY TOO , ANOTHER GREAT FILM , CALLED : LIFE , WITH THE GREAT EDDIE MURPY & MARTIN LAWRENCE . ECT .... THAT YOU CAN ORDER --- MY SWEET LORD , PLEASE BLESS US & PLEASE , LETS MAKE PRISONS , MUCH GREATER !!! & INSTED OF ANGER , HATE ,& ABUSE ( WHICH IS NOT WORKING --HOW , COULD IT ??? ) LETS GIVE PEACE , HOPE , CARE & LOVE , FOREVERMORE !!! ei kreis

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Extremely well written and an absolute page turner.

After a decade working with women in the federal prison system, I was looking forward to reading on the topic of women serving time. Unfortunately, the author took the easy and stereotypical road: women are victims and are without culpability in their actions. Afterall, women don't BELONG in prison, right?

Other unfortunate myths perpetrated in this text are that women are inherently good mothers so imprisoned women's children are being damaged by their moms' absence, and of course, women's sexuality is innocent and never used for gain. This book does not include any perspective on the likelihood of poor parenting committed by a person who put her criminal behavior ahead of her child's needs. And where are the stories of women sex offenders? The author takes the inmates' stories at face value, so we hear about mentally ill, abused women, without any evidence that these are acurate histories.

Women committed crimes and therefore serve time for it. Our society cannot seem to come to grips with the idea of responsible, adult women and instead we keep finding books about helpless, innocent victims. Ultimately, perpetuating these stereotypes ultimately harms women as it prevents any serious attempts to prevent violent crimes by women and of course, it prevents any funding for treatment of their victims.

I would recommend folks interested in the topic of violent women to skip this book and check out some harder to find ones such as Patricia Pearson's When She Was Bad, Women-to-Women Sexual Violence by Gershick, Female Sexual Abuse of Children ed Elliot.