I don’t read many non-fiction books, but I gotta say that when I do, it’s one I end up absolutely loving. Being a Picky Bookworm usually means that I never promise to love a book, and I probably finish books I hate way more often than I should, but that when I come across a book I love, I REALLY love it. Free by Lauren Kessler is one of those books for me. Because it’s non-fiction, I had to approach it in a different way than I would a fantasy or thriller, but that doesn’t mean I loved it any less.
Lauren’s inside look into the lives of prisoners and inmates in America’s detention system is full of heart, full of hope, and full of truth.
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Synopsis
Free is a look into the lives of 6 “criminals.” Their time in jail, their time in prison, and lastly, their time on “the outside.” This in-depth look into how our justice system views these people, and how our detention system fails to help them when they’re released, is an important look into just how far we need to go to rehabilitate, instead of simply punish.
Compared to other countries, our justice and detention systems are in desperate need of overhaul. Lauren looks at life from the viewpoint of 6 people, both long-term prison inmates, to off-and-on jail terms. How these various people enter life after long stints in prison, or after only a few months, gives us insight into what we can change as a society, and what we can learn from these indomitable people.
Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of (book) in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
EXCERPT
Trevor, emerging from seventeen and a half years inside, was one of the lucky ones. He knew where he would sleep. And he was releasing not just to a physical space that was safe and comfortable – his mother’s home – but to an emotional space that was loving, accepting, and fiercely loyal. Few people, ex-inmates or not, could count on the level of support that Karen, Trevor’s mother, provided. It was unflagging, tireless, and in that way that only a mother’s love can be, ferocious. Back when he was first arrested, Karen had steadfastly believed her boy, her fourteen-year-old, was innocent. It’s not just what he had told her. It is what, as a mother, she had to believe. When she accepted that he was guilty as charged, that he had in fact committed murder, when she was forced to grapple with what that meant to his future, her belief in him never wavered. That belief propelled her out of her old life. She fashioned a new one from the ground up: a new town, a new job, a new career, and a new house, the house that was waiting for Trevor when his parole officer finally dropped him off that first afternoon.
The layout of the house offered privacy and separation of space. Trevor had his own room with his own private bathroom. He didn’t feel wedged in. He didn’t feel as if he were an addendum to someone else’s life. And, although he was living in his mother’s house and had never experienced independence, he did not feel like a kid the way a lot of us do when we come back home as adults. He was a man, thirty-something, who had grown into what it meant to be an adult while behind bars. It helped that his mother encouraged and supported this, that she saw him as the adult he had become. But it also helped, almost as much or perhaps more, that Loraine was waiting for him in the house. She was the young woman who had begun writing to him years before, who had visited him regularly, who had established a relationship with Karen, who saw her future with him. That private room in Karen’s house was their room. Trevor was releasing not just to a house but to a new life that had at least the beginning of a structure to it, a foundation.
I’m Already Interested! Take Me to Amazon to Purchase Free by Lauren Kessler
My Thoughts
I don’t know what I was expecting from Free. Since I got the book from Netgalley, I didn’t read much of the blurb, because even if the book sucked, I didn’t pay anything for it. I also love going into reading a book almost blind, because it gives me a chance to discover things along with the characters.
I feel the same way about movies, so I rarely watch trailers or previews.
Not knowing much about the book helped me see things in a new light, especially in regards to our justice and detention system. Knowing that the people depicted are real people, not characters that someone made up, made it even more compelling.
The Six “Main Characters” in Free by Lauren Kessler
Each of the 6 people in Free have unique stories, and unique challenges that made their reentry into society difficult. Trevor had a supportive family waiting for him, which made housing easy to come by, but he had been in jail long enough that many things were still different and challenging in their own way. Read a little about each of the six “main characters” in Free below, then grab the book to continue their stories.
Arnoldo
Arnoldo ended up in “juvie” at fifteen years old, and went to adult prison when he turned eighteen, serving “LWP,” or “Life With Parole.” This means that while it’s never guaranteed, he has the chance to get out of prison sometime in his life. Sadly, the longer someone is in jail, the harder it is, and the longer it takes, to integrate back into society. Prison has its own rules, its own society, and its own way of dealing with things like conflict, that society on the outside won’t tolerate. Hiding feelings and emotions becomes the norm.
Trevor
Trevor, in prison for murder, is serving life with parole. He is one of the few successful reentries, because of the support system he was able to build and cultivate while on the inside. His mother, Karen, was tireless in her support of him, even moving her own life closer to the prison so she could stick by his side. Her support never wavered, even as she came to terms with her son’s crime, allowing Trevor to grow up easier, and allowing his reentry into society to be more successful.
Catherine
Catherine was charged with first degree murder at the age of thirteen, along with her brother who was twelve. They were charged as adults for the murder of their father’s girlfriend. The two remain, to this day, the youngest people ever to be charged as adults. No one learned about the abuse that went on in the house. The jury never found out about Catherine’s mother, who fled for her life when Catherine was just four, leaving her and her brother in the care of their father, a man who himself had been charged with second degree murder. This is because Catherine and Curtis pled guilty to second-degree murder, and accepted their sentences.
Vicki
Vicki was one of the few people who was never in jail for long periods of time. If I remember correctly, the longest she was in was 5 years. The issue Vicki kept running into was because she never spent long inside, she didn’t have time to correct the habits that kept her from returning to her old life once she left jail. She was in a relationship with the same man, although they never married, and she had kids to look after, but she lived in the same neighborhood, with the same “friends,” and the same habits she had when she went inside.
Dave
Dave, after 34 years in prison, is finally out. He probably has the most difficulty adapting, since he’s gay. I don’t say that disparagingly, I say that because 34 years ago, being out of the closet was frowned upon in society. Very few people were open about their sexuality, and the sort of freedom afforded a gay person today can be hard to adapt to. Dave has been able to find a job, and he has been able to find an apartment, but learning to live on the outside has proven to be extremely difficult. He lives almost a monk’s existence, because he found it too difficult to be “normal.” He goes to work, goes home, and watches television. During the rare times he has found a relationship, they are short lived.
Sterling
Sterling is probably my favorite out of the six. He was a “lifer,” meaning he would likely be in jail for the majority of his life. He entered the system at 16 and won’t be due to be released until around 2030. Despite several law changes, that would allow someone who had entered the system under the age of 18 to be released, Sterling’s situation is different. He’s had difficulty getting lawyers to listen to him, and his multiple appeals have been largely ignored.
Despite all that, Sterling remains in good spirits, and runs various programs for the prison, to help inmates solve conflicts without violence, and he participates in various writing groups. One such group is where he met Lauren, the author of Free.
My Favorite Part of Free
One of my favorite parts is in chapter 3. This chapter tells about a meeting in a church basement, with approximately fifty participants. As people enter the room, they are handed a folder. The folder details their fictitious dossier. It details their names, their crimes, how long they’ve been in jail, and all sorts of other information. Each folder also details a list of tasks that must be completed upon their release.
The evening goes like this: tables line the room, with a sign that represents a different service, from parole offices to community health centers. The hallway outside is labeled “County Jail” and “Police Station.” Over the course of the next hour, the “parolees” will, in fifteen-minute increments, live through a “month” in the life of a real parolee. A whistle blows to begin week one. Participants rush from table to table, only to find long lines awaiting them, along with other barriers to completing the tasks required of them in week one.
I won’t give you too much information about this exercise, but suffice to say, I don’t envy someone getting out of prison after 30 days, much less a lifetime. Reentry is hard.
Quotes
“I celebrate that which does not crush me.” — Sterling
Stable Housing is the doorway to what follows, what has to follow, for reentry to be successful.
Reentry is – and this cannot be repeated too often – both a perilous and exhilarating journey.
Recommendation
If you haven’t already read Free by Lauren Kessler, I hope you rush over to Amazon and grab it right away. If you love non-fiction stories, if you love stories full of hope, or even if you just love a good story, Free is for you. Despite the sad and sometimes heavy subject matter, Free is a book that everyone should read at least once. If you love reading compelling stories that get you invested in the lives of others, you’ll want to read Free by Lauren Kessler.
I want to purchase Free. Take me to Amazon!
Conclusion
Do you think you’ll read Free by Lauren Kessler? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love to chat about this book, and I love, love, love comments! I reply to each one when I can. Also, if you loved this review, and want to stay in touch, please subscribe to my newsletter. I send a weekly email to let you know of new goings on, and I never spam.
Until Next Time, Friends!
