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The Prison Book Club

Ann Walmsley

3.47 · Rating details · 1,024 ratings · 202 reviews

A heart-warming story about the redemptive qualities of reading.

After Ann Walmsley was mugged near her house in Hampstead, she found she was unable to walk alone down the street and it shook her belief in the fundamental goodness of people. In Canada a few years later, when her friend Carol asked her to participate in a bold new venture in a men's medium security prison, A ...more

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Hardcover, 304 pages

Published September 22nd 2015 by Viking

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May 29, 2017 Shane rated it liked it

I met the author at a local book club meeting and decided to read her book.

At first I wondered why she wrote a book like this. Was it to promote the Book Clubs in Prisons that her friend and colleague, Carol Finlay, had pioneered in Canada, was it a life-long love of books, or was it to exorcise a traumatic mugging incident in which she had been the victim? I concluded it was all three, but upon reading the book, I discovered a fourth: providing us a glimpse into the Federal Correctional System, I met the author at a local book club meeting and decided to read her book.

At first I wondered why she wrote a book like this. Was it to promote the Book Clubs in Prisons that her friend and colleague, Carol Finlay, had pioneered in Canada, was it a life-long love of books, or was it to exorcise a traumatic mugging incident in which she had been the victim? I concluded it was all three, but upon reading the book, I discovered a fourth: providing us a glimpse into the Federal Correctional System, into the life “inside” and its denizens who live with no guarantee that their incarceration will restore and prepare them for life on the outside.

The narrative is structured around a series of book club meetings the author attends at the medium security prison in Collins Bay and at the minimum security facility in Beaver Creek over two years. At first, attracting hardened male criminals to read books and discuss them in a group environment is difficult, and maintaining regular attendance is hard, but eventually a core of engaged regulars emerge. Some prisoners find it difficult to read books of literary fiction because they regurgitate painful memories: “The book is prey, you have to go after it.” The books being discussed are the classics and other best-selling works of literature, chosen by Carol and the author, and are supposed to be free of the four cardinal “no-no’s: porn, weapons-making, hate and abuse. And yet when I looked up some of the titles of the books, I scratched my head. Alias Grace? Perhaps Margaret Atwood, by virtue of her stature, gets a free pass!

Attendance at a book club meeting in a prison is subject to many variables not encountered in the outside world: lockdowns, fights, strikes, flooded cells, conflicting parole hearings, family visits—they all get in the way. This is a direct contrast to the pampered surroundings of the author’s own book club in her middle-class suburb where the challenge seems more about which wine, cake and goodies to serve.

The author is constantly battling her fear, that springs from her past assault, to push boundaries and meet with the prisoners in one-to-one sessions, or in closed rooms without guards nearby, and even on the outside after the prisoners have earned their release. I wondered whether this drive to confront “the other” was her way of seeking healing for her own trauma. She is motivated by her father’s words, “If you expect the best of people, they will rise to the occasion.”

The most interesting parts of the book to me were the discussions of the various literary works, and the opinions of the inmates, which often run counter to middle-class sensibilities. “People on the outside assume innocence, people on the inside assume guilt.” Therefore, Greg Mortensen of Three Cups of Tea fame was exposed as a charlatan by prison book club members long before the later exposé, 3000 Cups of Deceit, came out confirming that. For men of low to average education, I was impressed by their depth of perception and their observations of human character. Their diction makes them sound like university scholars, and I wondered whether that was the author wanting to get past jargon, patois and accents to expose their thinking in clear language, or were they actually that eloquent? I was left questioning whether these levels of insight, eloquence and compassion came to the men after their experience in prison or whether had they always been that way? And if it was the latter, was it just a matter of chance and circumstance that had sent them down the wrong track? As a collective, the prisoners share one or more of these common histories: family neglect, abuse, lack of education, marginalization, a proclivity to take short-cuts, lack of love, instability of domestic life, bad company, drugs and alcoholism.

The prison book club experiment has been a success for Carol Finlay and the author, for now the concept has spread to prisons across Canada and into women’s prisons as well. As a writer, I was heartened to realize that what we churn out daily with no hope of return has helped in a small way to enlighten the lives of these dark souls, providing them hope for a better world on the outside, even though it may not always turn out that way. ...more

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Oct 07, 2015 Deanne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: highly-recommended-book, best-of-2015, thought-provoking

If you are a book lover this is a MUST read. It opens your mind to all kids of different views and a variety of books you wouldn't normally pick up. I highly recommend this to everyone. You will be missing out on one of the best books I have ever read!!! I'm so grateful I took the chance and bought it. ...more

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Jun 07, 2016 Emily Burns rated it liked it

My reaction to The Prison Book Club is so very mixed. The writing is straightforward and succinct in its summaries of the two years Walmsley spent with the prison book clubs at Collins Bay and Beaver Creek, and I am so pleased to hear about the program as it is likely such a valuable resource for inmates during and after their incarceration; however, I found the tone of her writing very self-congratulatory. I acknowledge that, because of her post-traumatic stress following her mugging, it was a ...more

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Sep 22, 2015 Carolyn rated it liked it

I would have liked to award this book 5 stars based on the wonderful charitable work done by starting book clubs in prisons. The author, Ann, was traumatized by a violent mugging in London and afterwards was afraid to walk down the street. On her return to Canada she was asked by a friend, Carol, to participate in a book club in a medium security Ontario prison. She had to overcome an almost paralyzingly fear in order to take part. She also says she went to the prison with plans to write a book. ...more

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Nov 22, 2016 Jason rated it it was amazing

Shelves: business-or-memoir, required-reading, made-in-canada, favorites

'"Carol, do they think we're all monsters?"'

I really hope more people pick this book up and read it. What a journey it took me on. It even managed to elicit a tear out of me at the end.

I can't believe I haven't heard more about this book. More shockingly, I can't believe I haven't heard more about these prison book clubs, which are in dozens of prisons throughout Canada and are spreading in popularity around the world (USA, Japan, etc). It goes to show that the science behind reading really has '"Carol, do they think we're all monsters?"'

I really hope more people pick this book up and read it. What a journey it took me on. It even managed to elicit a tear out of me at the end.

I can't believe I haven't heard more about this book. More shockingly, I can't believe I haven't heard more about these prison book clubs, which are in dozens of prisons throughout Canada and are spreading in popularity around the world (USA, Japan, etc). It goes to show that the science behind reading really has powerful effects on improving empathy in people.

For me, the most powerful part of this novel was in learning about the prisoners themselves. Walmsley sat down monthly with bank robbers, drug dealers, even murderers. We are given insight that the regular person never has into the lives of a prisoner, how they've gotten to where they are, and how they cope with and accept their crimes. It is easy for anyone on the outside to assume these men are bad seeds, evil. What isn't easy is choosing to remember that there have been circumstances, sometimes unimaginable to us in our own safe lives, that have landed these men in prison. These aren't evil men, they aren't even monsters; they're men. They're men who have done something bad, and who are (for the most part) entirely conscious and aware of their wrongdoing. Reading this book has given me an entirely new appreciation for the delicacy of human nature and just how fragile our own freedom is.

Throughout, we see these men evolve; they become men of great empathy, men with deep insight, men who love reading for the escape. We get brief clippings from their personal journal entries and see how heartbreaking and tragic incarceration is on their lives. We see how hard it is for them to adapt in the world after release. Imagine being enclosed inside walls, with literally no view of the outside, only the sounds of the animals and vehicles beyond the wall enclosing you. And then imagine having to get on with your life in a world that has advanced decades without you. It warms me to read that most of these men continue to read after release, having created their own book clubs, to spread the pleasures and joys of literature. Many of them move on to become invaluable parts of society.

Read this book and gain an appreciation for just how difficult it is so survive in a life that has been set up for your failure. This is how it is for prisoners to incorporate themselves back into society, yet often they do. Credit must be given where due. This is a book that is about everything readers know to be true, but put to use in a real life scenario where it can help improve lives.

...more

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Dec 31, 2015 Monicac rated it it was ok

I got this book at a Read For The Cure event. I found the premise very interesting, but the execution was poor, due to the shallow treatment of the discussions the book club members actually had. Each chapter started with a description of the book for that month's meeting (which read like a cross between a newspaper book review and the blurbs you find printed on book jackets, convincing you to pick them up). The writer would then delve into the book club discussion itself, but unfortunately, it ...more

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Sep 10, 2015 Amie's Book Reviews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biographies-auto-biographies, non-fiction-mental-health, canadian-authors, non-fiction-relationships, non-fiction-psychology, true-crime, non-fiction, www-penguinrandomhouse-ca, goodreads-first-reads, read-in-2015

THE PRISON BOOK CLUB

Author: Ann Walmsley

Type of Book: Hardcover

Genre: Non-Fiction

Length: 279 pages

Release Date:

Publisher: Viking - A Division of Penguin/Random House Publishing

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

* I received a free hardcover copy of this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program. A review is not a requirement of receiving the book, but it is appreciated.

There are several factors that drew me to this book. Firstly, the author, Ann Walmsley, is Canadian and I love to read books wr ...more

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Jul 17, 2017 Nina Ive rated it really liked it

This is a book about books. And books within books. It should come with a warning attached: you are not required to read ALL of the books listed in this book. Which of course means you will want to. I’m also inspired to start up a bunch of bookclubs, everywhere, all the time.

Yeah, so you get the picture. This is actually a true story about an enterprising woman called Carol, who wanted to see if reading – through an organised and voluntary bookclub -could help give inmates a purpose. She wanted This is a book about books. And books within books. It should come with a warning attached: you are not required to read ALL of the books listed in this book. Which of course means you will want to. I’m also inspired to start up a bunch of bookclubs, everywhere, all the time.

Yeah, so you get the picture. This is actually a true story about an enterprising woman called Carol, who wanted to see if reading – through an organised and voluntary bookclub -could help give inmates a purpose. She wanted to help them to empathise with others and expand their horizons. The experiment turned into a charity called Books for Inmates, and expanded to prisons all over Canada.

The author of the book (Ann) was recruited to help select appropriate books for the men, and she sought permission from the authorities to write a book about the experience. The names have been changed to protect identities, but the dialogue and descriptive detail is real.

Apart from the fact that I loved being introduced to many, many books that I wouldn’t normally pick up, I loved the way that Carol fearlessly and confidently grew the bookclub. She seemed to intrinsically understand how to inspire the men and take them on a journey. She also went out of her way to help them rebuild their lives on the outside, tirelessly calling in favours from her extensive list of contacts. Within the pages of the book she wasn’t let down.

Did I mention there are a lot of books? Just in the first chapter I added several to my wish list – ones I had never heard of and not usually in the genre I read from. This is the beauty of sharing books – it helps you to branch outside of your comfort reading and into new areas. One of the inmates who had been in and out of jail for 35 years said “I got through by doing a lot of reading, but if you have no one to share it with, it fades.” They had amazing and insightful discussions. The author and other volunteers at the bookclub were often stunned at the insights by some of the men. It was a profound experience for everyone.
...more

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Nov 17, 2015 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: provided-by-publisher, arc-are, nonfiction

In The Prison Book Club, journalist Ann Walmsley shares the story of the eighteen months she spent as a volunteer with Book Clubs for Inmates, a fledgling project that began at the Collins Bay Institution, a medium-security penitentiary in Kingston, Ontario that has now grown into a successful nationwide program.

Walmsley was understandably reluctant when her friend, Carol Finlay, asked her to support the Collins Bay book club, several years before she had been badly traumatised when she was viol
In The Prison Book Club, journalist Ann Walmsley shares the story of the eighteen months she spent as a volunteer with Book Clubs for Inmates, a fledgling project that began at the Collins Bay Institution, a medium-security penitentiary in Kingston, Ontario that has now grown into a successful nationwide program.

Walmsley was understandably reluctant when her friend, Carol Finlay, asked her to support the Collins Bay book club, several years before she had been badly traumatised when she was violently mugged outside her London home. She has little recollection of the first meeting at Collins Bay but decided to return, taking strength from her late father's (a former judge) advice, "If you expect the best of people, they will rise to the occasion."

For eighteen months Walmsley joined inmates in Collins Bay, and later the Beaver Creek Institution, to discuss selected fiction and nonfiction titles including The Cellist of Sarajevo , The Book of Negroes , The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Journey to Understand His Extraordinary Son, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Walmsley recorded the book-club discussions and conducted regular one on one interviews with a select number of prisoners who also kept diaries for her, not only about their thoughts on reading but also aspects of their daily lives. It is this material she draws on to tell the story.

I admit to being surprised that the literary titles chosen engaged the men so much. I enjoyed the discussion and insights of the prisoners, even though I was unfamiliar with several of the books. The program is an excellent initiative that seems to offer tangible benefits to the prisoners that choose to participate. What particularly struck me was Walmsley's recognition of the way in which reading seems to encourage the development of empathy, something I have long believed to be true.

I was less interested in Walmsley's musings about nature and felt perhaps that she could have better explored the contrast between the book club made up of her affluent friends, and the prison book club, beyond the menu and setting.

Overall I found The Prison Book Club to be an interesting read, I really admire the program and I'm heartened to learn that Australian prison's are encouraged to establish book clubs for inmates. I've also added a few books to my own reading list as well including The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story and Alias Grace

...more

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Dec 29, 2015 Elaine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a fascinating read and just reinforces for me....not that I wasn't completely convinced anyway...the power of books. Ann's friend Carol was instrumental in starting up Book Clubs in prisons all over Canada. In her book, Ann, documents these meetings and gives us an insight into some of the men who attended. It was heartening to see how sensitive and perceptive these men were; some who were accused of serious crimes and how through books and reading they were able to make a life for them ...more

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Dec 31, 2018 Saimon (ZanyAnomaly) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, arcs

I went into this book based on the blurb, especially the last line which had mentioned this book to be a "heartwarming example of the rehabilitative power of reading" and I just have to say, it is a very accurate description of this book.
And the icing on top is the fact that this book is a MEMOIR!

Ann Walmsley, an ardent reader of books, is still haunted by a mugging incident that happened a few years back when her friend Carol approaches her to talk about her new initiative of opening book clubs I went into this book based on the blurb, especially the last line which had mentioned this book to be a "heartwarming example of the rehabilitative power of reading" and I just have to say, it is a very accurate description of this book.
And the icing on top is the fact that this book is a MEMOIR!

Ann Walmsley, an ardent reader of books, is still haunted by a mugging incident that happened a few years back when her friend Carol approaches her to talk about her new initiative of opening book clubs in Prisons. Her curiosity is piqued and she agrees to be a part of this committee despite her fear of being around prison inmates. What follows is a very interesting look into the minds of the prisoners and how the books influenced their minds.

The members of the Prison Book Club meet monthly and discuss the book they decided upon the previous month. And you would think that this pack of convicted criminals containing murderers, drug traffickers and mobsters with barely any higher education would not have any deep insight into the books they read ( at least, I thought so at the beginning). But you'd be surprised. These prisoners delve into their reads and express their thoughts with such eloquence and insight that it'll knock you off your feet! And with every book they read, we see them taking something from each book to their hearts with them and honestly that was just so heartwarming to read and I suspect, overwhelming (for the author) to witness.

As the chapters go by, you'll see many new members joining the book club and old members leaving it. And we get a glimpse into the prisoners past and present now and then and what their takeaway is from reading every book. We also get a glimpse into their minds through their daily journal entries. We see them developing more empathy, we see them talk about their fears and anxieties through the characters in the books they read. We witness the ultimate power of books, the ability to free an imprisoned mind.

Additionally, they also read along with external book clubs and exchange notes sharing their thoughts with the other group.
.
As the book progresses, you see this initiative becoming big thanks to the ever efficient and ambitious Carol, extended to every public prison in Canada.
And in the final chapters, we see the initial set of the Prison Book Club members all gradually heading into real life.
.
And here is where I have a small problem with the book, I didn't feel like there was a strong ending or that the characters have impacted my life in any way, which is one of the things that I look for in a book. I barely remember the main book club members now and don't remember much of what they said. And here lies my dilemma: the fact that this book is a memoir. I am unsure if I am not impacted because the writing could've been better or because I just needed to be there to feel the entire impact, but either way it was just a thoroughly wholesome read and I recommend you to read it.
.

Thank you so much to Oneworld Publications for sending me a copy of the book for review 🌟 ...more

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Feb 04, 2016 JenniferD rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-books, canadian, memoir, nonfiction

2 ½-stars.

this book was chosen as a monthly read for april, 2016 in one of my GR groups. so i won't say too much on specifics just yet. but, generally, though i found the subject and book club program completely interesting and book-worthy, i never warmed to the style of walmsley's writing or to the way this book is structured. i felt frustrated at moments during the read because even though the book can be extremely personal - for both walmsely and some of the men she profiles taking part in th ...more

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Sep 18, 2015 Melinda Worfolk rated it it was ok

Shelves: non-fiction, canadian, women-authors

I wanted to like it more than I did. Too bad! There's an interesting story to be told here, but not in this book. Well-meaning concept but limp narrative. ...more

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Feb 12, 2018 Karly rated it liked it

I was so intrigued by this concept I was hooked from the beginning. Ann joins a book club her friend has started at Collin’s Bay penitentiary in Kingston. She is responsible for the book choices and suggests that the men keep journals while they read. It was really interesting to see when the men felt comfortable discussing their past, childhood, upbringing and the reason they were incarcerated. Ann created three ‘layers’ while participating in the book club: the book club discussions, private o ...more

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Jan 23, 2021 Caroline Lisa rated it really liked it

An interesting, non judgemental read.

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Apr 15, 2016 Carla Johnson-Hicks rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, can-lit

Author Ann Walmsley was the victim of a mugging in England and had some degree of PTSD. When she returned to Canada, her friend Carol asked her to participate in a book club in a men's prison. She was leary but taking strength from something her father had said, she agreed to give it a go. What happened next is the meat of this book. This was a fascinating read and if definitely reinforces the power of books. Ann's friend Carol was instrumental in starting up Book Clubs in prisons all over Canad ...more

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Nov 06, 2015 Wendy rated it really liked it

This book should be a model for how book clubs work. Ann Walmsley recounts her experiences in 2011 and 2012 with book clubs established by a friend in prisons near Kingston. She explores her own feelings with searing honesty - her understandable nervousness about going into prisons. Her growing respect and affection for the men she meets there.

And the books. Because she was given permission to record the book club meetings, the author is able to reproduce the topics raised and selections from t ...more

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Jan 13, 2016 Dee-Ann rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-book, movie-material, non-fiction, memoir, mental-health

This book describes the personal experience of the author, Ann, who volunteers with a couple of book clubs located in Canadian prisons. Ann, herself, had been a victim of a violent crime prior to this, and it was with mixed feelings that she participated. This book describes in detail individual prisoners who took part in the book clubs (though names have been changed) and their comments and perceptions of the books that were read, some of which are quite enlightening. The book describes the pro ...more

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Nov 12, 2015 Tanya Wiles-bell rated it it was ok

I honestly didn't love this book so I purposely waited a few weeks after reading it to see if I'd change my mind. Sadly, I didn't. Technically this is a well written book, but I just found that the story dragged, as if too much effort was made to fill pages with words rather than with content (story). When I picked this novel up I was hoping for deeper insight into the life of prisoners in Ontario and how reading transformed them, and, hopefully, how the book clubs affected the prisoners AND the ...more

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Aug 11, 2017 Shauna rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: autobiography, 2017

I expected to find this much more absorbing than I did. It was not that the subject matter failed to engage me . The establishing of a book club in a Canadian prison and the inmates growing enthusiasm for reading and discussing the books was of great interest. Rather it was the way the book was written.
Although Ann Walmsley states that she became involved in the group partly to help her overcome her post-traumatic stress after a mugging in London, she remained only a shadowy figure in the narra ...more

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Oct 13, 2019 Mandy rated it really liked it

An important but flawed read.
Important because the power of books is so wonderfully illustrated. And a look at our prison systems is always important.

Flawed because it felt like it should have been shorter, and at times felt like it was wandering. I read a newspaper review that said the organization that recruited the author to volunteer in the book club was upset about her book, saying the inmates felt betrayed - I was surprised by the content she shared about their crimes and private lives, b ...more

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Jan 25, 2016 Krista rated it it was amazing

This is a must-read for those who love books. I learned a very important lesson in reading this book. Just because someone is in prison, doesn't mean that they can't enjoy literature. Of the books that I had in common with the ones that the prison book club read, the prisoners had better insights into what they read than I ever could.

The attack on the author and the aftermath were a bit played up, but it couldn't detract from the joy I got from reading about what the inmates felt about the book ...more

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Nov 25, 2015 Vivien Farnell added it

brilliant. had read quite a few of the books read by the book club and it was interestng to see the depth of the discussions and the topics introduced and also I have added a few books to my reading list.

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Jul 26, 2015 Allie added it

An eye opening memoir that left me speechless! A must read

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Mar 09, 2016 Sandra rated it liked it

Shelves: bookclub

Read for (non-prison) bookclub.

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Feb 02, 2020 Gisela Hafezparast rated it liked it

Probably more a 3.5.
I have to say that even the title of this book immediately got me interested, but I had to overcome my conscious "Unconscious bias" towards posh, rich people to give this book a chance.

Ann Walmsley is my eyes at least a posh, rich person, BUT, Gisela be fair, whilst she clearly had a very protected comfortable upbringing, married to somebody who earns a lot of money (otherwise you do not live in a big house in Hampstead Heath in London) and then can more or less give up work Probably more a 3.5.
I have to say that even the title of this book immediately got me interested, but I had to overcome my conscious "Unconscious bias" towards posh, rich people to give this book a chance.

Ann Walmsley is my eyes at least a posh, rich person, BUT, Gisela be fair, whilst she clearly had a very protected comfortable upbringing, married to somebody who earns a lot of money (otherwise you do not live in a big house in Hampstead Heath in London) and then can more or less give up work to overcome a very horrible experience and then embark on this book club adventure, she has been attacked and robbed brutally and then was brave enough to meet people like her attackers and probably worse. That must have taken a lot of guts and she clearly also spend a lot of time for people who murdered people, used violence to run protection scams, drug traffickers and so on.
The book is all about helping these often long term prisoners in medium security prisons to use literature as a way out and an alternative to being stuck in the same rod. She clearly was very scarred many times by the prisons and prisoners and I for one can really sympathise with that. These, at least when they went into prisons, were not nice people and seriously scary. However, once she got to know them and some of their stories, she clearly got to like them. The book let's us be part of this and also shows how good literature can get to the hearts of the hardest person and I found the prisoner's views on some of the stories very astute.

Where the book falls down is that it doesn't tell you enough about the prisoners and their voices and I would have though were sometimes very "tidy". I somehow can't believe that somebody who spend most of his life being a member of the Hells Angels speaks quite a refined as the book seems to suggest. Whilst I am sure she gave the opinions these prisoners made, it didn't come across with the depth it might have.

Moreover, it did not tell us why then after two years, she suddenly stopped. Was it because she had enough material for the books, which I would find deplorable.

Altogether it is a good insight into a prison book club. Even the organisational problems were very interesting and could have been explored a bit more in my opinion.

A good, interesting read, but lacking in depth. ...more

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Nov 30, 2017 Susan Marshall rated it it was amazing

The Prison Book Club is a compelling read, especially for those of us who belong to book clubs. As a victim of a violent mugging, author and PTSD sufferer Ann Walmsley, confronts her fear of criminals, volunteering to assist in establishing book clubs in men's prisons as part of a pilot project for inmate rehabilitation. Extremely well-written, the most fascinating parts are the meetings themselves, with the prisoners providing impressive opinions and insights to often challenging literary works ...more

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Dec 14, 2020 Jordan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book has two very unique aspects - getting to recognize and understand humanity and some interesting tidbit about Ontario’s prisons, and wanting to hop into your car and literally join the Collins Bay Book Club.

I adored the discussion of all of the books and the new perspectives that were shared via some of the inmates. I will say that this book added a serious number to my TBR pile!

I also loved the humanity that this book brought to a broken system. Having the insight into some of the pot ...more

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May 02, 2018 JoAnne rated it liked it

Recommended to JoAnne by: County Bookworm

A few suggestions before reading this book. The fact that it is a compilation of their book club studies, it is advisable to pre-read the books that they are reviewing. A few examples are:
1. The Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society
2. Grapes of Wrath ( who hasn't read this one yet?? )
3. Small Island
4. Infidel
5. The Woman who Walked into Doors
6. The Glass Castle
7. Alias Grace.. one of my all time favorites
8. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas ( this one isn't actually discussed in this book, ...more

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Sep 21, 2017 Nicole rated it it was ok

Unfortunately I did not finish this book. Life is too short to plod through a slow moving book like this. The writing is fine, but stiff, lacking any warmth. I had higher hopes. I have such a curiosity regarding life behind the walls of local prisons. In that respect I learned little. Disappointed.

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About Ann Walmsley

Ann Walmsley

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Ann Walmsley is a magazine journalist whose work has appeared in The Globe and Mail and Maclean's. She is the recipient of four National Magazine Awards, a Canadian Business Journalism Award and two International Regional Magazine Awards.

Born in Picton, Ontario, Walmsley graduated with a degree in English literature from Trinity College at the University of Toronto, before pursuing a career in jo ...more

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Preview — The Prison Book Club by Ann Walmsley

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Preview — The Prison Book Club by Ann Walmsley

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Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Ann Walmsley

News & Interviews

Trivia About The Prison Book Club

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