I couldn't finish this book. Each story was more depressing than the one before, and they were all hopeless with no chance of a happy ending for anyone. Very sad.

Hmmm, what to say???? This book was eye opening. Amazing how much horrible acts young girls and women are subject too. I admire and applaud the authors for rising above their situations, telling their stories, working on healing, and helping others. At a point though, I couldn’t stand reading any more details of the horrible abuse. I decided not to finish reading the book.

I did not have high expectations for this book, although I am a Wally Lamb fan. Man, it sucked me right in. It was hard to put down, but hard to read at the same time. It was terribly depressing, but spellbinding. Amazing stories and so very well written.

These women have gone through so much shit, yet they find freedom in themselves by writing their stories and writing everything that comes to mind. Media portrays women inmates as lunatics, petty, psychotic, and delusional. Yet these women are the opposite. Yes, they have done bad things in the past, but that doesn’t make them any less of a person than they already are. The majority of them suffered major abuse by significant others and strangers. You could argue that some of them had had enough and had to end the madness somehow. Even if it meant taking someone’s life, arguing self defense or straight murder. Yet, those women who argued in self defense lost in court and were found guilty. Men can prowl and creep around women, tormenting them from a close and far. Yet when a woman feels threatened and has had enough, taking a mans life; it is ruled murder? Life is unfair for these women and it’s sad to see how they are treated in jail.

I just finished this book for the second time. And I loved it all over again. Compassion, compassion, compassion. That’s the word that keeps running through my mind on a loop. These women are guilty of committing crimes, but they are just as much victims of their circumstances as those they have wronged. None of these women blame their victims; all show remorse. Their ability to write so eloquently about their stories is wondrous, healing, cathartic.

Task #20: A book written in prison. The introduction was so touching- a novelist is asked to volunteer in a women's prison, has trouble saying no, and goes on to lead a writing program that culminates in this book. About a dozen inmates write short memoirs of their early years. This book was hard to read and yet so engaging and hopeful. These women who all ended up in prison are all very different but with common threads running through their narrative- most of them have faced domestic violence and sexual abuse. Many deal with mental illness and addiction. The therapeutic benefits of writing come through in this book.

I've long had zero interest in reading anything with Wally Lamb's name on it, since the subjects of his books make me go, "Hm.....". But when I ran into this at the library I had to get it, despite his name on the cover. Heh. (No offense to the man himself, he seems like fine fellow from his intro in this book.)

I'm trying to balance out the six (YEAH, I KNOW) different women-in-prison shows I've consumed with some non-fictional works on the topic. As expected, the stories inside were heartbreaking and eye-opening... but also excellently written, all of them. Though I still don't want to read anything by Wally Lamb, I'll gladly read more of the work of his students. I didn't want to put this down.

I would give this book 4.5 stars if I could, it was a really great read. The story telling is captivating and eye opening, reminding the reader of the importance of having compassion. The stories are all from female prisoners, but most are not centered around their crimes but, instead, their trials of growing up. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone, but especially to people who have biases and judgments toward female criminals.

I feel like far too often, modern media turns those individuals that are incarcerated into some sort of novelty. Turning them into tv shows, sensationalizing prison and tempting the viewers to look at the people as some sort of circus freak show of sorts. This book reminds us that everyone has a story and it isn't the story of the crime or necessarily the story of living life incarcerated. It is the story of the person, the history and the emotions. I'm glad these women "Couldn't Keep it to (Themselves)" and feel privileged that they were brave enough to share their stories with the world.

I appreciate Lamb and his dedication to these women. Empowering them to tell their stories.

I also applaud the authors, editors and publishers for including the pictures of the women, often including one of them as children. This makes them personified even more; gives the names faces. Builds connections.

Thank you!

Could not put it down.

I thought this was a very good book. The book is comprised of stories written by the women who have been or are still incarcerated in York State Correctional Institution. I was very moved by these women's stories of what they went through and how they ended up in prison. There is a common theme to all of them, which is very sad. No one should have to grow up under the circumstances these women had to face. I wish somehow we could fix this messed up stuff and stop it from happening at all. Ah, the perfect world we'll never have. I highly recommend this book.

Both what I was expecting and also something I wasn't.

These aren’t victimhood tales, instead they are reflections on lives lived, choices made, and consequences endured. I found that Lamb’s introduction did a fantastic job laying out exactly what to expect in the reading, but also all that went into the writing process and how this project found its way to the printing press. Lamb described the journey the women took to authentic expression through their writing. Perhaps most endearing to me from Lamb was when he shared how he ended up working with the program in the first place and how working in this challenging environment as gown him as a teacher and as a fellow author. With his loving and respectful intro I was prepared, or so I thought, to read the women’s work.

Some stories fall into the type of work you might expect, some focus on life before their time at York and while you can see the interstitial tissue connecting their work to their time behind bars it is busy telling a different narrative. (It is important to note that in respect to Connecticut’s Son of Sam law the authors did not write with any specificity about their crimes and profits were shared with Interval House of Hartford who work to end Domestic Violence.) Couldn't Keep It to Myself becomes a testament to finding oneself and reckoning with what comes next.


Full review: https://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/...