Life on the Outside : The Prison Odyssey of Elaine Bartlett

Rating:
Summary: Life After Prison
Review: Currently, over 2 million people are serving time in prisons in America. Shocking as that figure is, it still cannot convey the effects that being in prison actually have on the prisoners themselves.

Jennifer Gonnerman's book, is about the post-prison experiences of one ex-con, Elaine Barrett. After leaving prison, Barrett had to cope with the demands of parole officers, employers, landlords and evn her own children. Not surprisingly, Barrett finds life outside prison bars hard to navigate.

Elaine Barrett is an example of how prisons do not adequately prepare the inmates for the challenge of making it on the outside without resorting to the kinds of activities that landed them in prison in the first place.

This is a good book that leaves a lot of food for thought.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This book actually blew my mind. I hadn't ever given much thought to our prison system. Bad people go to jail, right? Ms. Gonnerman has somehow been able to write a book that is fascinating, compelling, heart-breaking, infuriating, AND educational. I finished the book and immediately wanted more information about Elaine Bartlett and the status of the Rockefeller drug laws in New York. Fortunately, the author has also created a web site for those of us that want more information: http://www.lifeontheoutside.com.

I wish this book were required reading for all lawmakers, judges, lawyers, police and parole officers...

Rating:
Summary: A Life Extraordinary!
Review: This book pulls you into the world of a woman who exposes every side of herself and her life - the good, not so good; tragic, and triumphant. It it a must read for any and everyone who is in human services, public policy, sociology...let's be real, for any and every human being. One does not have to totally identify with Ms. Bartlett to even learn and grow from this book. Ms. Gonnerman writes the book in "...words that we all can easily understand." moving one through so much information, one can not put it down....and the heroics of the people who were there for Ms. Bartlett! And her family! A testimony of true survival.

Great Read!