Reading Behind Bars Quotes

“Besides, who doesn't love vampires and monsters and haunting hearts beating beneath the floorboards?”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“This is true for all of us: the library is, and hopefully always will be, a place where we can just be free.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“Because even out in the big wide world of life after prison, the library is a neutral space. The library doesn't care who you are or where you come from. The library just wants you to be there, enjoying the books and reading the newspapers and checking your email on the computers. The library is a space for everyone, regardless of background and history,”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“The tide threatened to pull me under every single morning and every single morning I had to force myself to get out of bed. Because of my cat.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“I love that during fall, there is a sacred sense of renewal. Like a snake shedding its skin, trees are given new life, new opportunities for growth. It's like opening the cover of a brand new notebook and staring at a blank white page. This isn't a test, there is no wrong answer, just a chance to take a deep breath and reset.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“I was struggling. I didn't just need a mental health day. I needed a mental health life.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“Also, in grad school, I learned about the Five Laws of Library Science, as outlined by S.R. Ranganathan in 1931. One of these laws - number two, as it were - is "Every Reader HIs Book." Every member of a community, Ranganathan argued, should be able to walk into a library and find the material they want. Libraries should exist for all patrons and provide a collection that meets the needs of everyone in that community, not just certain demographics. It's a great standard for most libraries.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“He knew that if he was in the library, it meant he wasn't going to be in a situation where he could possibly get into trouble,”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“Without a view to the seasonal changes happening out in the yard - the growing of the grass, the piles of snow drifts, the presence or absence of birds depending on the time of year - no one inside could watch time marching on,”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“Spring was here and the desire to make positive changes was in the air.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“Books are considered dangerous for all sorts of reasons: content, language, violence. There is also a philosophy of arming oneself with books and knowledge, as if preparing for a battle of wits. But this was the first time I realized they could be used as literal weapons.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“I love playing the detective, digging in deep, searching for clues, reading up on a subject, garnering information.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“Every library is unique because every library's user base is unique and this library was no different. However, different communities meant different needs meant different collections.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“This must be how Harry Potter and friends felt as they ventured into the Forbidden Forest. They had no way of knowing what lay beyond but they knew enough - I mean, it was called the Forbidden Forest for a reason - to know that they had to keep their guard up and that danger lurked under every bush and behind every tree.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“(I also have a flair for the dramatic.) Spoiler alert: everything turned out fine.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“I am, and always have been, a bookworm. Books are in my blood, the written word etched upon my bones.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian

“A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never-failing spring in the desert.”
― Jill Grunenwald, Reading behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian