false 46660 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 46660 4 45767 2001 A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet total:200|5:82|4:77|3:33|2:3|1:5| 200 828 293 39 26162 4.10 478 71 10868040 565363 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 199 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 5 1 false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 22 08:39:51 -0800 2007 Fri May 29 09:29:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 37847900 1115034 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 4 1 false Sun Nov 16 00:29:26 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 23 15:33:32 -0800 2008
His story of a young illiterate man who became a poet to save himself in prison is amazing and signals that no human being shoul...more...]]> 3346210 155256 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 5 1 false Thu Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Sat Jul 21 07:35:37 -0700 2007 Thu Dec 17 01:26:25 -0800 2009 2506074 160397 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 5 1 false Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Thu Jun 28 15:54:23 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 28 16:13:15 -0700 2007 48473871 1559535 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 4 0 false Fri Mar 06 19:59:52 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 20:08:47 -0800 2009 2 Blood In, Blood Out? This is the guy who wrote that..."
For many of my male high school students, this is the first book that they have ever read. In true Jimmy Baca fashion, he takes his readers on a journey that runs the spectrum of emotions. He makes no apologies fo...more...]]> 50254791 2156070 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 4 0 false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 22:01:33 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 19:46:14 -0700 2009
A Place to Stand is an autobiography that details the struggles Baca had to face in order to become a famous write...more...]]> 41110677 1838456 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 3 0 false Sun Dec 28 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 28 14:32:52 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 12:30:15 -0800 2008 I admire the author's determination in teaching hi...more...]]> 61417524 2461575 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 4 0 false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Jun 28 14:57:51 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 15:00:54 -0700 2009
A great companion read to ALWAYS RUNNING by Luis Rodriguez

Baca, like Rodriguez, is a poet first, memoirist second, and his background makes every page a revelation.

Warning -- if you found parts of ALWAYS RUNN...more...]]> 81393971 5257 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 5 0 false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 18 08:54:44 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 18 08:57:15 -0800 2009 73901841 1441273 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 5 0 false Thu Oct 08 15:26:11 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 18:08:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 75397509 2867644 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 4 0 false Mon Oct 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 22 12:58:07 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 22 13:00:53 -0700 2009 10871000 137034 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 3 0 false Wed Jan 02 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 22 10:00:47 -0800 2007 Mon Jun 02 18:44:23 -0700 2008 more...]]> 48805540 915534 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 1 0 false Tue Mar 10 09:38:13 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 09:09:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 50260870 1264280 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 5 0 false Tue Mar 24 00:29:21 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 24 00:30:37 -0700 2009 64937514 2426386 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 4 0 false Tue Aug 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 25 15:51:35 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 13:00:05 -0700 2009 42384737 1812222 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 4 0 false Thu Jan 08 14:36:59 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 14:37:34 -0800 2009 42162551 1874157 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 4 0 false Tue Jan 06 18:19:16 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 06 18:20:54 -0800 2009 41183731 1812884 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 5 0 false Mon Dec 29 09:53:53 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 29 09:55:12 -0800 2008 47605596 779232 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 5 0 false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Feb 26 11:31:38 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 26 11:32:20 -0800 2009 77392266 674436 46660 0802139086 9780802139085 39 <![CDATA[A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945m/46660.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170342945s/46660.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46660.A_Place_to_Stand_The_Making_of_a_Poet 4.14 200 When he enters New Mexico's Florence State Prison in 1973, convicted on a drug charge, Baca is 21 and has a long history of trouble with the law. There's no reason to think jail will do anything but turn him into a hardened criminal, and standing up for himself with guards and menacing fellow cons quickly gains him a reputation as a troublemaker. But there have already been hints that this turbulent young man is looking for a way out, as he painstakingly spells out a poem from a clerk's college textbook while awaiting trial or unsuccessfully tries to get permission to take classes in prison.

When a volunteer from a religious group sends him a letter, contact with the written word unleashes something in Baca, who starts writing letters and poems with the aid of a dictionary. Reading literature shows him possibilities for understanding his painful family background and expressing his feelings. Poetry literally saves him from being a murderer, as Baca stands over another convict with an illegal weapon, ready to finish him off, and hears "the voices of Neruda and Lorca... praising life as sacred and challenging me: How can you kill and still be a poet?" Baca has a year to go on his sentence, but the reader knows at that point he has made a choice that will alter his destiny.

Without softening the brutality of life in jail, Baca expresses great tenderness for the men there who helped him and affirms his commitment to writing poetry for them, "telling the truth about the life that prisoners have to endure." --Wendy Smith

]]> 2001 1 0 false Tue Nov 10 19:48:44 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 10 19:48:58 -0800 2009 8 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=46660