Friday, June 24, 2016

Ten books written in prison

Jeff Somers is the author of Lifers, the Avery Cates series from Orbit Books, Chum from Tyrus Books, and We Are Not Good People from Pocket/Gallery. One of his top ten books that were at least partially composed while their authors were serving time, as shared at the B&N Reads blog:
Conversations with Myself, by Nelson Mandela

There are few prisoners as famous as Mandela, a man who served 27 years in captivity due to his righteous political beliefs, only to go on to serve as president of a much-changed South Africa after his release. This remarkable book is a compilation of writings Mandela composed over the years, many of which were written while he served his legendary sentence. The book serves as an inspiration for anyone seeking to overcome injustice or doubtful of their ability to remain committed to their ideals, and a stark reminder that no matter what your circumstances are, you could be writing a book right now.
Read about another entry on the list.

Conversations with Myself made Casey Lee's list of the five best books by Nelson Mandela, Alexandra Fuller's top ten list of African memoirs and Martin E. Marty's five best list of books on the theme of prison writing.

--Marshal Zeringue