The Freedom List: Returning to Prison
"The walls sneered: 'We knew you'd be back, so we kept everything as you left it.' That terrible déjà vu began before I'd even reached the prison's chain link fences."
An unflinching account of one man's journey through a decade-long prison sentence and beyond. From the courtroom to confinement, Five to Twenty is an unfiltered look at America's criminal justice system and a former inmate's search for freedom and redemption.
"The walls sneered: 'We knew you'd be back, so we kept everything as you left it.' That terrible déjà vu began before I'd even reached the prison's chain link fences."
"The test isn't really about separating fact from fiction—which it can't do—but rather about frightening and intimidating the test-taker."
"Dr. Hart says that for many people, the emotions that lead them to consider suicide are brief and temporary. You can save a life simply by being there."
"He was given the name because of a medical affliction that resulted in his having a member roughly the size of a deli salami. It literally, from what Bo said, hung down to his knees."
"After knocking, he let himself in, closed the door, and took a seat beside me. The PA system announced that the 10-minute move had ended. Duke had me all to himself for the next hour."
"'I had it all worked out—the farm in Montana, the huge log home by the river, sharing the warm, snowy nights cuddled before the fireplace.' Must be a white guy, I thought."
"So I told the class to forget about introductions, bodies, conclusions, and grammar and spelling and paragraphs—just write, I told them. Describe your childhood home. Make me see, smell, hear, taste, and feel that space."
"Joe guffawed. 'I'm forty years old and have no skills. I've been selling drugs since I was ten. It's the only thing I know.' We are, Joe and I, in similar situations."