Life In Prison
Life In Prison, which was written by Stanley Tookie Williams, was a very intriguing book for me to read. I am very glad that I chose to read this book for my project in literacy this trimester. I hope that maybe after you read my review on this book you might want to take some time to read this book also. I think you could learn a thing or two from reading what Tookie has to teach the young people in our world today. I know I certainly learned a lot. Throughout the chapter in Life In Prison, Tookie Williams describes various aspects of daily prison life as he has seen it thus far.
This book is not the only one of its kind that has been written by Tookie. Tookie, with help from a few others, has put together a whole series of books for children. The books are about how he wishes that the kids today make good choices in life and avoid the mistakes that he has been unfortunate enough to make in his lifetime. Tookie took the time to really put his heart and soul into these books. Because of t his, he was also nominated for a Nobel peace prize. Tookie Williams was the co-founder of the Notorious crips gang that originated in California over twenty years ago. He was sent to death row in San Quentin in 1981. He was convicted because he pleaded guilty to being part of an armed robbery where some people were murdered. Although these facts may painjavascript:void(0)t a gruesome and nearly unforgivable picture and overall image of Tookie, there's much more to who he was as a person than that. I think that these books really showcase that.
The book wasn't exactly like a regular story though. There were characters that were briefly mentioned throughout the story, but the main characters remained, in my perspective, Tookie and his reader. That was one of my favorite things about the book. At the beginning of each chapter, Tookie described a sort of 'at home experiment' for people to try that could help them imagine what he was talking about in a clearer and more realistic manner. He described his living space like being locked in your bathroom all of the time...or worse. This helped me imagine how oppressive life in prison must really be.
What amazed me even more as I read the story, was how Tookie proceeded to make it through all of this and really find himself when it would have been so easy for him to get completely lost in the whole mess. I think that Tookie's story is one that represents the true redemption that we are all capable of, even in the worst circumstances. Unfortunately, Tookie is no longer with us. He was executed after he had a number of books published. There was also a movie made about his story (which I highly reccomend seeing) called Redemption. All in all, I learned a lot through reading about Tookie and his life both in and out of Prison. Like I mentioned before, his story has helped me regain faith in the process of healing and redemption that each of us are capable of. Rest In Peace Stanley Tookie Wiliams.
This book is not the only one of its kind that has been written by Tookie. Tookie, with help from a few others, has put together a whole series of books for children. The books are about how he wishes that the kids today make good choices in life and avoid the mistakes that he has been unfortunate enough to make in his lifetime. Tookie took the time to really put his heart and soul into these books. Because of t his, he was also nominated for a Nobel peace prize. Tookie Williams was the co-founder of the Notorious crips gang that originated in California over twenty years ago. He was sent to death row in San Quentin in 1981. He was convicted because he pleaded guilty to being part of an armed robbery where some people were murdered. Although these facts may painjavascript:void(0)t a gruesome and nearly unforgivable picture and overall image of Tookie, there's much more to who he was as a person than that. I think that these books really showcase that.
The book wasn't exactly like a regular story though. There were characters that were briefly mentioned throughout the story, but the main characters remained, in my perspective, Tookie and his reader. That was one of my favorite things about the book. At the beginning of each chapter, Tookie described a sort of 'at home experiment' for people to try that could help them imagine what he was talking about in a clearer and more realistic manner. He described his living space like being locked in your bathroom all of the time...or worse. This helped me imagine how oppressive life in prison must really be.
What amazed me even more as I read the story, was how Tookie proceeded to make it through all of this and really find himself when it would have been so easy for him to get completely lost in the whole mess. I think that Tookie's story is one that represents the true redemption that we are all capable of, even in the worst circumstances. Unfortunately, Tookie is no longer with us. He was executed after he had a number of books published. There was also a movie made about his story (which I highly reccomend seeing) called Redemption. All in all, I learned a lot through reading about Tookie and his life both in and out of Prison. Like I mentioned before, his story has helped me regain faith in the process of healing and redemption that each of us are capable of. Rest In Peace Stanley Tookie Wiliams.
Labels: Gangs, Prison, Tookie Williams
posted by Whitford Students | 3:00 PM
<< Home