bookgirl
06-02-2002, 10:08 AM
There are some excellent Fiction & Nonfiction books available that have something to do with prison.
The Green Mile by Stephen King (Fiction)
Although the movie was excellent, you're still missing out on a lot if you haven't read the book. This is one of the best books I've ever read (and I've read thousands in my day). Don't be satisfied wi th watching the movie.
John Coffey, a large and slow-witted black man is found holding the dead bodies of two little girls in the rural South during the Depression. He is duly arrested, tried, convicted, and delivered to death row. Those who work in the unit soon discover that Coffey has an unusual gift, and their lives are all changed forever by their contact him.
Keep the Kleenex handy.
The Chamber by John Grisham (Fiction)
The movie was pathetic. I almost walked out and demanded my money back because they absolutely slaughtered the spirit of the book. The book, however, is excellent. An innocent man is on Death Row, and as his grandson, fresh out of law school, tries to save him, some awful truths emerge about this innocent victim of the system. This is a beautiful story about corruption, grace and redemption, but you won't know that by watching the movie. You'll have to READ THE BOOK! (I think it's Grisham's best, but that's just my opinion.)
Born Again by Charles (Chuck) Colson (Nonfiction)
You may recognize Chuck Colson as one of Nixon's cronies who went to prison for his part in Watergate. This book isn't so much about his prison experience - and we certainly don't relate to the country club prisons he describes - but this is the story of how he became a Christian and how God used his prison experience to start, Prison Fellowship, an international prison ministry. It is because of this book that I joined PF and eventually came in contact with the man who became my husband. (It's been a long time since I've read this, and I hope I haven't confused it with some of his other books. It is, however, the first of his books that I read.)
Tony, Our Journey Together by Carolyn Koons (Nonfiction)
Tony is a small Mexican boy who was accused of killing his baby sister and sent to prison. While the author is on a mission trip in Mexico, she meets Tony and arranges for a couple in her church to adopt him. That adoption doesn't work out, but a better option emerges when there is an error in all the bureaucratic red tape associated with the adoption. This is a heart-wrenching and heart-warming story. Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but check ebay, half.com, church libraries, and used bookstores.
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom (Nonfiction)
This book has been around for a long time, but it's a must-read for anyone, especially a Christian, dealing with incarceration. Corrie and her family end up in concentration camps during WWII, but Corrie survives (and lives to be an old woman) to tell the story of how horribly they were treated but how God's love and mercy sustained them in their darkest hours.
Holes by Louis Sachar (Children's Fiction)
Stanley Yelnats ends up in a juvenile detention camp for a crime he didn't commit. The philosophy of the warden is this : "If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy." So, Stanley and the other boys dig a hole every day - 5 feet across and 5 feet deep. The boys soon realize there's more to the digging than punishment, and you'll soon be cheering them on as they meet the challenges of this grueling punishment. Most suitable for 5th grade and up, but adults love it, too!
Twice Pardoned by Harold Morris (Nonfiction)
Morris spent 13 years in a Georgia State Penitentiary for something he didn't do. Unfortunately, he was with buddies who did commit a murder and armed robbery. His buddies got the deal and he got the time. This is the story of a promising young athlete who gave up everything good in his life in exchange for alcohol and drugs. He became a hardened man in prison, but an old high school friend brought hope when all seemed lost. Morris became a Christian and eventually gained parole. He has since written several books and speaks in high schools and stadiums about his experiences in an effort to help teens learn from his mistakes. (This book is out of print, but you might find it on ebay, half.com, a church library, or in a used book store.)
There are hundreds more books about prisons and prison experiences. I just haven't read all of them yet!
Happy reading!!
The Green Mile by Stephen King (Fiction)
Although the movie was excellent, you're still missing out on a lot if you haven't read the book. This is one of the best books I've ever read (and I've read thousands in my day). Don't be satisfied wi th watching the movie.
John Coffey, a large and slow-witted black man is found holding the dead bodies of two little girls in the rural South during the Depression. He is duly arrested, tried, convicted, and delivered to death row. Those who work in the unit soon discover that Coffey has an unusual gift, and their lives are all changed forever by their contact him.
Keep the Kleenex handy.
The Chamber by John Grisham (Fiction)
The movie was pathetic. I almost walked out and demanded my money back because they absolutely slaughtered the spirit of the book. The book, however, is excellent. An innocent man is on Death Row, and as his grandson, fresh out of law school, tries to save him, some awful truths emerge about this innocent victim of the system. This is a beautiful story about corruption, grace and redemption, but you won't know that by watching the movie. You'll have to READ THE BOOK! (I think it's Grisham's best, but that's just my opinion.)
Born Again by Charles (Chuck) Colson (Nonfiction)
You may recognize Chuck Colson as one of Nixon's cronies who went to prison for his part in Watergate. This book isn't so much about his prison experience - and we certainly don't relate to the country club prisons he describes - but this is the story of how he became a Christian and how God used his prison experience to start, Prison Fellowship, an international prison ministry. It is because of this book that I joined PF and eventually came in contact with the man who became my husband. (It's been a long time since I've read this, and I hope I haven't confused it with some of his other books. It is, however, the first of his books that I read.)
Tony, Our Journey Together by Carolyn Koons (Nonfiction)
Tony is a small Mexican boy who was accused of killing his baby sister and sent to prison. While the author is on a mission trip in Mexico, she meets Tony and arranges for a couple in her church to adopt him. That adoption doesn't work out, but a better option emerges when there is an error in all the bureaucratic red tape associated with the adoption. This is a heart-wrenching and heart-warming story. Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but check ebay, half.com, church libraries, and used bookstores.
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom (Nonfiction)
This book has been around for a long time, but it's a must-read for anyone, especially a Christian, dealing with incarceration. Corrie and her family end up in concentration camps during WWII, but Corrie survives (and lives to be an old woman) to tell the story of how horribly they were treated but how God's love and mercy sustained them in their darkest hours.
Holes by Louis Sachar (Children's Fiction)
Stanley Yelnats ends up in a juvenile detention camp for a crime he didn't commit. The philosophy of the warden is this : "If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy." So, Stanley and the other boys dig a hole every day - 5 feet across and 5 feet deep. The boys soon realize there's more to the digging than punishment, and you'll soon be cheering them on as they meet the challenges of this grueling punishment. Most suitable for 5th grade and up, but adults love it, too!
Twice Pardoned by Harold Morris (Nonfiction)
Morris spent 13 years in a Georgia State Penitentiary for something he didn't do. Unfortunately, he was with buddies who did commit a murder and armed robbery. His buddies got the deal and he got the time. This is the story of a promising young athlete who gave up everything good in his life in exchange for alcohol and drugs. He became a hardened man in prison, but an old high school friend brought hope when all seemed lost. Morris became a Christian and eventually gained parole. He has since written several books and speaks in high schools and stadiums about his experiences in an effort to help teens learn from his mistakes. (This book is out of print, but you might find it on ebay, half.com, a church library, or in a used book store.)
There are hundreds more books about prisons and prison experiences. I just haven't read all of them yet!
Happy reading!!