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Prison Stories
Prison Stories is what “OZ” and "Prison Break” weren't real enough to be.
Prison Stories reveals a world of fearless convicts, inconspicuous snitches and deadly gang rivalry. The book is a vivid look into the brutal and vicious world of prison. It takes the reader inside the belly of the beast, giving real life accounts from the netherworld of corruption and violence. Prison Stories' outlaw rawness mixes well with hip-hip’s street essence. Fans of Iceberg Slim's Pimp Tales and HBO's OZ series will really dig this.
In Prison Stories, Seth Ferranti brings forth a powerful memoir of life in federal prisons in the 1990s when the War on Drugs and Mandatory Minimums were in full steam quadrupling the population of the Bureau of Prisons.
Prison Stories reveals a world of fearless convicts, inconspicuous snitches and deadly gang rivalry. The book is a vivid look into the brutal and vicious world of prison. It takes the reader inside the belly of the beast, giving real life accounts from the netherworld of corruption and violence. Prison Stories' outlaw rawness mixes well with hip-hip’s street essence. Fans of Iceberg Slim's Pimp Tales and HBO's OZ series will really dig this.
In Prison Stories, Seth Ferranti brings forth a powerful memoir of life in federal prisons in the 1990s when the War on Drugs and Mandatory Minimums were in full steam quadrupling the population of the Bureau of Prisons.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 2, 2012
Stoned prisoners 24/7. It would have helped to have the Spanish words and phrases translated - either in footnotes or perhaps in a glossary in the back of the book. I disagree with Don Diva Magazine's statement that, "An episode of `Oz' couldn't capture prison drama the way Seth Ferranti does in Prison Stories." While Seth Ferranti's book is interesting and provides some detail about the prison's operations, it really is pretty uneventful. The main theme of the book seems to be the drug dealing inside of the prison - I now know how much a chap stick cap of weed goes for on the compound. This book is no huge hit but still enjoyable, once you get used to the prison slang.
August 7, 2013
Read this a while back, and it's great. More importantly, authentic. Written by a guy who stood tall and got slammed with 25 years when he was barely more than a kid. He should have got maybe 5 years, not 25, but-- well, I hope when he gets out there is a golden bucket at the end of the rainbow. I look forward to what Seth does when he gets out. Big things ahead for him.
February 15, 2022
Intéressant on découvre une autre vision des détenus dans les prisons fédérales.
April 16, 2024
When your daughter works with death row inmates you read prison books.....
August 9, 2008
“A Hard Man Shatters But a Strong Man Endures
Ever wonder what prison life is really like? Seth "Soul Man" Ferranti takes readers to the belly of the beast with his raw, uncut narration of PRISON STORIES. PRISON STORIES, based on an insider's view, tells the story of young Guero, a suburban white drug dealer learning the ropes, politics and keys to survival in the federal prison system. With jewels of wisdom from friends and fellow inmates, examples of cellmates, and his own experiences, Guero quickly learns the dos and don'ts. "You can't be selling wolf tickets in the pen, unless you want six inches of steel in your gut." As the months roll into years, will Guero allow the life behind bars to dictate his future beyond the bars?
Seth's storytelling is both enjoyable and insightful. Narration was effectively alternated between main character Guero and anecdotes; anecdotes that cover everything from snitches to shakedowns, drugs to gumps, sneak thieves to paperwork parties. "Catfish" was my favorite. Told this way, it allowed readers not only in on Guero's particular situation and life through his eyes, but also the many characters and events that go down all day everyday in the prison system. Although Seth does a good job acclimating readers to this environment, there were times I didn't have complete understanding. Translating conversations and slang from Spanish to English would have been helpful.
Overall, PRISON STORIES is a promising debut and I look forward to more.
Reviewed by: Toni
Ever wonder what prison life is really like? Seth "Soul Man" Ferranti takes readers to the belly of the beast with his raw, uncut narration of PRISON STORIES. PRISON STORIES, based on an insider's view, tells the story of young Guero, a suburban white drug dealer learning the ropes, politics and keys to survival in the federal prison system. With jewels of wisdom from friends and fellow inmates, examples of cellmates, and his own experiences, Guero quickly learns the dos and don'ts. "You can't be selling wolf tickets in the pen, unless you want six inches of steel in your gut." As the months roll into years, will Guero allow the life behind bars to dictate his future beyond the bars?
Seth's storytelling is both enjoyable and insightful. Narration was effectively alternated between main character Guero and anecdotes; anecdotes that cover everything from snitches to shakedowns, drugs to gumps, sneak thieves to paperwork parties. "Catfish" was my favorite. Told this way, it allowed readers not only in on Guero's particular situation and life through his eyes, but also the many characters and events that go down all day everyday in the prison system. Although Seth does a good job acclimating readers to this environment, there were times I didn't have complete understanding. Translating conversations and slang from Spanish to English would have been helpful.
Overall, PRISON STORIES is a promising debut and I look forward to more.
Reviewed by: Toni
August 8, 2012
Turning the horrors of prison life into a well written tale, Seth Ferranti has provided us with a gritty inside peak of what life behind bars is really like. Minus the Hollywood cast, Prison Stories, gives us an Oz like feel, with a more in depth understanding of what actually goes on in the warped world of prison. Far from your average "man goes to jail and redeems himself" story, Prison Stories offers up a regurgitated account of what happens in prisons across America, without the fairy-tale endings which accompany many books of this sort.
With the day to day monotony, Seth, puts on exhibit the struggles inmates face to stay true while remaining out of trouble. From his chronicles of boredom to his play-by-play detail of shank-filled drama, Mr. Ferranti leaves no stone unturned in his narrative.
Following a young white boy who got wrapped up in the system for a drug charge, Prison Stories takes you into the pits of hell and back. From his first day on the block, to his assimilation into prison life, Seth gives you an unmatched sense of realism, of the cards prisoners are dealt from the moment they step foot into the cage. With characters that could be from anyone's neighborhoods, to the Spanish slag, Seth makes sure everyone has someone they can relate to.
Read only if you are prepared to be force fed some of the most real and direct details of what life behind walls is really like.
With the day to day monotony, Seth, puts on exhibit the struggles inmates face to stay true while remaining out of trouble. From his chronicles of boredom to his play-by-play detail of shank-filled drama, Mr. Ferranti leaves no stone unturned in his narrative.
Following a young white boy who got wrapped up in the system for a drug charge, Prison Stories takes you into the pits of hell and back. From his first day on the block, to his assimilation into prison life, Seth gives you an unmatched sense of realism, of the cards prisoners are dealt from the moment they step foot into the cage. With characters that could be from anyone's neighborhoods, to the Spanish slag, Seth makes sure everyone has someone they can relate to.
Read only if you are prepared to be force fed some of the most real and direct details of what life behind walls is really like.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews