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by: Wally Lamb
List Price: $14.95Amazon.com's Price: $10.17 You Save: $4.78 (32%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 810.809287086927
EAN: 9780060595371
ISBN: 006059537X
Label: Harper Perennial
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 368
Publication Date: 2004-02
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Release Date: February 03, 2004
Sales Rank: 3198
Studio: Harper Perennial
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
In a stunning work of insight and hope, New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb once again reveals his unmatched talent for finding humanity in the lost and lonely and celebrates the transforming power of the written word.
For several years, Lamb has taught writing to a group of women prisoners at York Correctional Institution in Connecticut. In this unforgettable collection, the women of York describe in their own words how they were imprisoned by abuse, rejection, and their own self-destructive impulses long before they entered the criminal justice system. Yet these are powerful stories of hope and healing, told by writers who have left victimhood behind.
In his moving introduction, Lamb describes the incredible journey of expression and self-awareness the women took through their writing and shares how they challenged him as a teacher and as a fellow author. Couldn't Keep It to Myself is a true testament to the process of finding oneself and working toward a better day.
Amazon.com Review:
Any book that can give voice to the voiceless should be celebrated. No one feels this more strongly than Wally Lamb, editor of Couldn't Keep It to Myself, a collection of stories by 11 women imprisoned in the York Correctional Institution in Connecticut. Teacher and novelist Lamb was invited to head a writing workshop at York Correctional Institution in 1999. His somewhat reluctant acceptance soon turned into steadfast advocacy once the women in his charge began to tell their stories. Lamb maintains that there are things we need to know about prison and prisoners: 'There are misconceptions to be abandoned, biases to be dropped.' However, as heartfelt as his appeal is, nothing speaks more convincingly in this book than the stories themselves.
Those collected here are disturbing and horrific. They reveal, often in graphic detail, the worst kind of abuse: incest, drug addiction, spousal violence, parental neglect, or incompetence. They're also testimony to what social workers and health care professionals have confirmed for years--that those who populate our prisons are often victims first themselves. Thus, the telling of these stories serves as a form of therapy. They are also sad accounts of the brutalities many suffer, yet few discuss: 'One day I figured out a dying little girl lived inside of me, so I threw her a lifeline in the form of paper and pen.' Considering the degradation the contributors have experienced both in and outside prison, the courage, candor, and honesty with which they speak truly make these stories, as difficult as they are to read, 'victories against voicelessness--miracles in print.' --Silvana Tropea
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - I just can't like it!
What a powerful book. I love that the prisoners were given a voice and an opportunity to use writing as catharsis and an opportunity to work through and past the things that shaped their personalities. I was glad to see each woman humanized, and it was easy to feel pity for them and to wish with them that they had made better choices.
That said...the entire book came off to me as a big book of excuses. I know, I'm sure I'll be criticized for "Blame the victim" mentality.
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Rating:  - Another must-read for just about anyone
This book, and its partner "I'll Fly Away" by the same author, is at times both tough and uplifting. These are essays that women have worked on in a writing class inside the prison. They are their personal stories, which usually reveal so much about their circumstances and decisions that led them to incarceration.
Some of it is rough to read, such as troubled family lives and things happening to them that we don't like to think about. You get a chance to see the real consequences of ... Read More
Rating: - Beautiful Voices
I was honored to hear the voices of these women. The book was filled with turmoil, pain, hopelessness, redemption, and everything in between. The women should be commended for their courage to tell their stories so candidly to the public. Much thanks to Wally Lamb for assisting in the making of this book.
Rating: - Honest and fascinating stories.
Can't put it down since it arrived. already on the waiting list for the follow- up. Great stories written without excuses , just explanations about how and why they got to this point . If you've never felt any sympathy about someone being incarcerated , this might make you feel differently.
Rating: - Best I have ever read in my life. He is great. I could not put it down.
GREAT. I thought Couldn't Keep It To Myself was the best book I have ever read. The second greatest is Correctional Institution.... I am sure that I have read nearly 10,000 books in my life but this is best author and I lend my book out and then call people to see where they are and I keep reminding them to not lend it to anyone else without my permission. So good that I bought a second copy just to make sure that if the first one gets lost, that I will always have a copy.
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