When Mark Salzman is invited to visit a writing class at Central Juvenile Hall, a lockup for Los Angeles’s most violent teenage offenders, he...
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Dec 17, 2008
David
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This wonderful book has just solidified my chaste intellectual mancrush on Mark Salzman.
How to convey just how much I liked this book? Let me just say that when I get home from D.C. it may be time to give my top 20 shelf a thorough review.
Alternatively, I could say that Mark Salzman writes with the kind of charm, wit, sensitivity and humility that gives Anne Fadiman a run for her money. Which is pretty high praise indeed.
How to convey just how much I liked this book? Let me just say that when I get home from D.C. it may be time to give my top 20 shelf a thorough review.
Alternatively, I could say that Mark Salzman writes with the kind of charm, wit, sensitivity and humility that gives Anne Fadiman a run for her money. Which is pretty high praise indeed.
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Jul 04, 2011
Newengland
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I loved this book and now I'm going to miss it. You know the feeling. You get comfortable with an author's voice and with his characters, you feel like you're riding shotgun cross-country and you're new best friends, and then WHAM, you're suddenly left roadside in Iowa while your friends speed off to California alone (where all finished books go). Sad. Bittersweet. But let me emphasize the sweet.
Maybe I loved it because it is about an author who serves as a writing teacher in an More...
Maybe I loved it because it is about an author who serves as a writing teacher in an More...
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Feb 08, 2009
Kori
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As I mentioned previously, this book is required reading for my college English class. I don't have to read it until a bit more into the semester, but thought "Might as well get it over and done with".
To be quite honest, this book was weird, but there was something oddly compelling about it. Famous Writer (I'd never heard of him), goes to juvenile hall, connects with students, and has a "Helen Keller moment". Sounds trite. But it wasn't. The author reprints essays More...
To be quite honest, this book was weird, but there was something oddly compelling about it. Famous Writer (I'd never heard of him), goes to juvenile hall, connects with students, and has a "Helen Keller moment". Sounds trite. But it wasn't. The author reprints essays More...
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Mar 27, 2008
Johnny
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Interestingly, I met Salzman as he was writing this book. He was giving a workshop at my college and when discussing his current projects, he spoke glowingly of a book he was writing about his experiences as a writing teacher in the prison system. Most of us in the room, perhaps motivated by once having proximity to a real, established author, rushed to read the book when it came out. However, the reaction was more tepid than anything else. Something about "True Notebooks" felt pre
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Jul 05, 2007
Amar
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In True Notebooks, Mark Salzman relates his experiences teaching a creative writing class to kids in Los Angeles's Central Juvenile Hall, a lockup for LA's most violent teenage criminals. Most of the kids who join his class are in jail for "187" - the police code for murder. Many are gang members.
Salzman is initially roped in to teaching the class by his friend Duane, who also teaches at the jail. Initially he's unsure of whether or not to do it, and he spends a lot of t More...
Salzman is initially roped in to teaching the class by his friend Duane, who also teaches at the jail. Initially he's unsure of whether or not to do it, and he spends a lot of t More...
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Dec 15, 2008
Julie
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I loved this book! I don't even know how I came about reading it or where the book came from--I just found it on my bookshelf.
With this book, Salzman and his writers/juvenile criminals lifted me by the feet and shook up my beliefs and ideas that I thought were pretty firm in their place. What a mess they are now! Salzman isn't preachy and I'm not sure what his message is....I admire that he admits that he doesn't know either. He gives a sincere account of his experiences and lets the reade More...
With this book, Salzman and his writers/juvenile criminals lifted me by the feet and shook up my beliefs and ideas that I thought were pretty firm in their place. What a mess they are now! Salzman isn't preachy and I'm not sure what his message is....I admire that he admits that he doesn't know either. He gives a sincere account of his experiences and lets the reade More...
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Jan 29, 2012
Ensiform
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Against his initial misgivings, Salzman begins a writing class at a Los Angeles juvenile detention center. His students are black, Mexican and Asian kids from broken homes and gangs, sixteen and seventeen, who are facing possible life prison sentences for murder. many will be shipped off to the “big house.” Nevertheless, the kids take to the project with passion, and Salzman finds himself thinking of the juvenile killers as his friends. His students write with surprising clarity and precisio
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Jan 08, 2012
Brian
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Conflicting thoughts collide as I set to review Mark Salzman's nonfiction True Notebooks: A Writer's Year at Juvenile Hall. Among those thoughts, two rise as the most pronounced--this is a book about finding our humanity and it is a love letter to writing.
Salzman leads a writer's group in the Los Angeles Central Juvenile Hall for some of the most violent criminals in the early stages of the system--most have committed murder and are waiting to be tried as adul More...
Salzman leads a writer's group in the Los Angeles Central Juvenile Hall for some of the most violent criminals in the early stages of the system--most have committed murder and are waiting to be tried as adul More...
Sep 27, 2011
Patrick
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True Notebooks by Mark Salzman is yet another Hornby suggestion. It is a nonfiction book about a year Salzman, a published author, spent as a writing tutor at a juvenile detention hall in Central L.A. It’s a heartbreaking story in that most of these kids go onto get adult sentences for their crimes-which although violent, offer no hope for rehabilitation as they move from the relative safety and comfort of juvenile hall to the jungle of the most violent adult offenders in the county. The lack of
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Jun 09, 2011
Colleen
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I discovered Mark Salzman when I borrowed the Soloist from our local library. This is an amazing man. He plays cello for one-I'm a big admirer of classical musicians-and he writes novels, both autobiographical and fictional with both humor and depth. True Notebooks is about the creative writing classes he teaches voluntarily at juvenile hall (aka "juvey" as my dad called it-he was a teacher for 25 years there). This book provides the point of view of the juvenile inmate and doesn't
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Sep 07, 2010
Dori
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Reading this book is a remarkable journey. We follow Salzman through his year of teaching writing at a Juvenile detention facility in Los Angeles (first reluctantly) as he soon becomes intrigued by a group of young offenders, many who are facing possible life sentences. I found the structure of this book remarkably rewarding: we are drawn in slowly, getting to know the setting, the characters, the system, getting bits and pieces of their actual writing, along with Salzman's own thoughts and ex
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Aug 21, 2010
Mrs. Featherbottom
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I loved this book. I've never read anything else by Salzman and to be honest, none of his other work (I've read just a brief synopsis of each of his other books) particularly jumps out to me as something I'd be really into. However, I love how he presented this experience to the reader, and that he shared it at all, since obviously teen prisoners, particularly low-income minorities, are not a group that gets much of an outlet or voice. The students in his class are depicted so vividly yet subtly
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May 11, 2010
Annie
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Mark Salzman teaches a writing class in an L.A. juvenile hall. His students are some of the most violent offenders in lockup. The book describes how he started teaching there, his students, his struggles with the class, his (very) laid-back approach to teaching and other experiences during his time there. Mostly, the book contains excerpts of student writing. Only near the end, when Salzman attends one of his student's trial's does the book present the complicated debate of appropriate justi
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Dec 23, 2009
Alexandra
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This is a difficult, but charming, book, about Mark Salzman's experience as a writing workshop leader in a juvenile detention facility in California. It follows his initiation into the world "on the inside" and the doubts, revelations, and lessons he experiences working with these youths, who come from difficult (and sometimes life-threatening) family backgrounds, and who now are facing adult sentences for crimes like gang-related murders.
The existential depth of the work h More...
The existential depth of the work h More...
Oct 30, 2009
Alexus Taylor Book Review October 30, 2009
I would recommend this book to my sister, Tabia. I think the author wrote this book to tell us about the true life stories of the juvenile delinquents. The part that captivated my attention was inside the book, somewhat like the introduction. This book caused me to have the mixture of depression, sadness, and laughter. What kept me reading this book were the small captions on the back of the novel (cover). My favorite char More...
Jan 24, 2011
Karyl
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In True Notebooks, Mark Salzman gives a fascinating look at young men in LA's criminal justice system. Salzman goes to Central Juvenile Hall, where these boys have been locked up to wait for their trial or their sentencing, in order to teach a writing class. Most of them are there because they have killed someone. It's easy for the rest of us to dismiss them as callous monsters who made a conscious choice to take someone else's life, but Salzman does an excellent job of showing that most of t
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Mar 20, 2011
Colleen
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This book was extremely good. It was the second time that I started reading it, and I finished it quickly. I must not have been in the mood before, because there was nothing about this book that I didn’t love.
This was a book about a writer seeking inspiration for a juvenile delinquent character in his upcoming novel. In order to develop his character further, Salzman begins teaching a writing class to high risk offenders at his local juvenile hall. Although he hesitated at first, he More...
This was a book about a writer seeking inspiration for a juvenile delinquent character in his upcoming novel. In order to develop his character further, Salzman begins teaching a writing class to high risk offenders at his local juvenile hall. Although he hesitated at first, he More...
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Jul 03, 2010
Lauren
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I like Mark Salzman, and liked his novel LYING AWAKE very much. This book is a memoir of the year he spent teaching creative writing in a juvenile detention center. He is candid and honest about his fears and concerns going into the project, and watching his prejudices melt away is quite fascinating, as the reader can't help be identify with the emotional ride. Where the book is less strong, in my opinion, is in the writing from the actual students, which takes up probably a third of the book
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Feb 16, 2009
Anna
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True Notebooks is intoxicating, thought provoking, totally addicting, and heartbreaking all at once. The characters in this book, the real-life "juvenile delinquents" that Salzman worked with, are amazing people despite their criminal records. This book shows you just how NOT so black-and-white the American justice system is. These kids who are arrested are real people who make mistakes and yes, they should own up to them, but how we as a society should handle them and their mistakes i
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Jul 23, 2008
Cinnamon
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Mark Salzman gets stuck writing a novel, so he gets roped into a writing class held at a juvenile penitentiary center that doesn't change how he thinks about crime, criminals, or justice. But it does change how he thinks about himself and about how even youth who murder are genuine people with a lot of heartfelt writing to express.
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Jun 21, 2010
Charlene
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Salzman's look at juvenile hall through its inner walls can be best described as gentle yet cautious.
In this work of nonfiction, Mark is "advised" to teach a writing class to a small and diverse group of youth incarcerated (mostly for murder) in a Los Angeles County juvenile hall facility, by a friend/colleague already engaged in the project. (And since he is struggling to get a work of fiction about juvenile hall off the ground. He figures, why not?) In the class, the More...
In this work of nonfiction, Mark is "advised" to teach a writing class to a small and diverse group of youth incarcerated (mostly for murder) in a Los Angeles County juvenile hall facility, by a friend/colleague already engaged in the project. (And since he is struggling to get a work of fiction about juvenile hall off the ground. He figures, why not?) In the class, the More...
Jul 25, 2009
Debbie (Readerbuzz)
rated it:
Mark Salzman is one of the authors I'd have never found on my own. He is unusual
in that he writes both fiction and nonfiction equally well. True Notebooks opens with Salzman having trouble with a
character in a novel he's writing. Almost before he realizes it, he somehow finds himself teaching a class to a group
of teenage boys in a juvenile detention facility. All the boys are under age seventeen and all are facing murder charges.
Though Salzman is at first apprehensive More...
in that he writes both fiction and nonfiction equally well. True Notebooks opens with Salzman having trouble with a
character in a novel he's writing. Almost before he realizes it, he somehow finds himself teaching a class to a group
of teenage boys in a juvenile detention facility. All the boys are under age seventeen and all are facing murder charges.
Though Salzman is at first apprehensive More...
Feb 01, 2012
Nicole
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Jacques A: True Notebooks is one of the best books I read by far, I picked the book because it was telling the story of young teens and their point of views. True notebooks interested me a lot and it caught my attention even though it was not my first choice it was a better decision. I came across this book because of my junior English teacher. My teacher recommended this book to me because she had a feeling of what interested me due to the genre of books she saw that I chose. I like reading bo
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Jan 16, 2012
Diana
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The interesting thing about this book is the author somehow comes off as an unlikable man to me. I don't know why I didn't like him but there was a definite disconnect there. But I loved the fact that because of him, these kids got a chance to breathe outside of their cell and write their feelings down. The author didn't do anything spectacular okay? He just gave them topics to write about and sometimes he couldn't even do that. But the kids, they are the ones who figured it out. They learned th
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Jun 07, 2011
I once taught basic English to two classes of tenth grade boys some of whom had been in Juvenile Hall so their stories resonate with me. I loved the author's first book, "Iron and Silk" that treated his year studying the martial arts in China, This book is at once poignant, disturbing, and heartbreaking as well as sometimes amusing.The raw honesty of the boys' writing is touching. It is also heroic, for in their situations gaining self awareness may be the only achievement they can c
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Dec 27, 2010
Marti
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Wow! I cannot remember how I got this book or why at this time I decided to pick it out of the many books I have that I still need to read. However, I am so thankful for the opportunity to discover and read it. I think it should be a required reading for anyone. It really shows the unjustness of the life of urban youth and the few choices they have for success. It shows the lack of insight our justice system has in dealing with this population and the fact that juvenile detention does not cr
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Dec 26, 2009
Barky
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Mark Salzman gets involved with the writing program at a juvenile detention facility in Los Angeles when his editor tells him that the juvenile delinquent character in his new novel needs work. He decides to inject some reality into Carlos by interacting with some real delinquents, and he sits in on one of their writing classes. The sophistication and honesty of the boys’ work surprises Mark, and after that, he’s easily railroaded by one very determined nun into teaching his own class.
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Sep 21, 2010
Barbara
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I’m not sure how to sum up this book. It’s compelling, moving, funny, horrifying. It shows the power of voicing one’s emotions and experiences through writing and the indomitability of the human spirit. America, as a society, needs to take a hard look at the juvenile justice system and adopt a more redemptive route to dealing with offenders. Volatile adolescents and bad circumstances often lead to poor life decisions, and the answer is not locking kids away for life. Salzman writes convincin
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Feb 09, 2012
Addreamy
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The writer does a nice job of letting the reader see one aspect of the juvenile prison system. He doesn't sugarcoat the experience either good or bad; he just lets events unfold the way they occurred. He also allows the individual personalities and the relationships not only among the juvenile offenders but with staff as well shine through. He makes it clear that the opinions are his own; the reactions he felt going through the experience and the growth process he, himself went through.
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Dec 11, 2011
Jane
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An author volunteers as a writing instructor at a juvenile hall. The book is poignant, heartbreaking and at times even funny. Many of the students were facing murder charges and have had very little education. Their writing was surprisingly poetic and reflective. Besides their writing samples, it was also interesting to read about Salzman's experience spending time with them in the juvenile hall. My only complaint was that it was hard to keep track of all the students because they sometimes
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