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    Prison Noir
    Prison Noir
    Prison Noir
    Ebook318 pages6 hours

    Prison Noir

    By Joyce Carol Oates

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    “A sobering experience . . . The power of this collection comes from the voices of these authors, voices suffused with rage, despair, and madness.” —The New York Times Book Review
     
    This anthology, with stories set in different prisons across the US, presents an absolutely new perspective on prison literature. From a killer’s confession to a desire for redemption, from stories of new cell mates to prison snitches, this collection of tales runs the gamut of emotions, settings, and voices. Readers are drawn into an unknown world and left with feelings of horror, compassion, and even understanding.
     
    Edited by renowned author Joyce Carol Oates, who has led various writing workshops in correctional institutions across America, Prison Noir features stories by Christopher M. Stephen, Sin Soracco, Scott Gutches, Eric Boyd, Ali F. Sareini, Stephen Geez, B.M. Dolarman, Zeke Caligiuri, Marco Verdoni, Kenneth R. Brydon, Linda Michelle Marquardt, Andre White, Timothy Pauley, Bryan K. Palmer, and William Van Poyck.
     
    “These are stories that resonate with authenticity and verve and pain and truth. Any collection edited by the National Book Award–winning author Oates deserves attention, but the contributors are deft and confident, and great writers without her imprimatur . . . Authentic, powerful, visceral, moving, great writing.” —Library Journal
     
    “All the stories, set within jailhouse walls, explore anguish, lunacy, and sometimes, a desire for redemption. Others offer an unsettling and unvarnished look at life in the clink . . . Perhaps most importantly, the book gives inmates a voice: their own.” —Fine Books & Collections
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAkashic Books
    Release dateAug 11, 2014
    ISBN9781617753312
    Prison Noir

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    Reviews for Prison Noir

    4/5

    28 ratings10 reviews

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    • 5/5
      PRISON NOIR, edited by Joyce Carol Oates, is yet another extremely fine addition to the growing collection of Noir titles by Akashi Books. While these may not have been the most distinguished writings I have ever read, the reality of the incarceration shines through in each tale.I especially enjoyed the religious message within “A message in the Breath of Allah” which counterpoised nicely with “Gary Bridgway.” Be it dealing with being locked up, solitary confinement, cellmates or the prison yard, each of these stories reflect the grit within the walls.I won this book through LibraryThing.
    • 5/5
      I have read several of these Noir books and I love them. All credit to my friend and author Curt Colbert who introduced me to the series when he was editing and writing a story for “Seattle Noir.” We spent a whole evening at a Seahawks game discussing the series and from there, I was hooked.This is the fourth or fifth Noir book I have read and reviewed. While many of the books in the series focus on a city, this one focuses on a community. Prisons are very much like a small town with all of the scandal, personalities and intrigues. The backdrop can be quite tragic but there can also be a lot of humor in the day to day that help people cope.Each of the stories is written by a prisoner, male or female, in a correctional institution. Some are in Federal prisons and some are in state prisons. The amount of time that they are doing varies from a number of years to life. Many have included their former incarnations as white collar workers, tv producers, wives, fathers and career criminals.The book is divided into three sections: Ghosts in the Machine, Caged Birds Sing and I Saw the Whole Thing, It was Horrible. There are five stories within each of these sections. From Section One, my favorites are as follows: “Shuffle” which speaks to the prison experience of living in segregation; “Bardos” which is a clever depiction of the day to day routine; and “A Message in the Breath of Allah” which is a meditation on death.In section Two I was partial to: “Foxhole” which was about the personalities that populate a prison as well as being from the perspective of a Native American and “Immigrant Song” which was about a young Mexican man who did not understand the situation in which he had found himself. The rest of the stories are strong too, these were just my favorites.Section Three favorites were: “Angel Eyes” which is about the hardening a person can experience. The brutalization that can occur as a person loses hope; “How EBay Nearly Killed Gary Bridgway” which is a very thinly veiled story about serial killer Gary Ridgeway; and 3 Block from Hell” which I am not telling you anything about it because it would ruin the whole story. These Noir books are some of the best edited anthologies I have had the pleasure to read. This one is no exception. Five stars. You will not be disappointed.
    • 4/5
      The first word to come to mind while reading Prison Noir is "honest." That's not to say that these stories are true or even autobiographical fiction, but there is a sincerity running through these stories that transcends talent and/or style.These are prison stories written by prisoners(one of whom has since been executed) and they are not all the greatest writers (although "Bardos" and "A Message in the Breath of Allah" are among the best in the entire Akashic Noir series), but every one of these stories is engaging and entertaining in its own way.
    • 4/5
      This book was excellent. It delves into the brutality of so many lives before and after prison. Showing how most of the characters ended up in prison and detailing how they survive everyday. A very strong read that I enjoyed.
    • 5/5
      Many anthologies have their hits and misses, but the fifteen stories are all excellent. The authors are all prisoners or former prisoners in the United States. They vary in age and experience. Two are women.It is not surprising that the stories deal with dark subject matter--there just isn't much light in a prison. Some deal with religion: "A Message in the Breath of Allah" is a strange and haunting tale. Some, especially those such as "Shuffle that deal with crowded conditions and difficult cellmates, will have you raging for prison reform. "Immigrant Song" shows how tough the justice and prison is on non English speaking offenders. The seemingly benign title "Milk and Tea" is concerned with domestic violence and is one of the most disturbing to read.The introduction by editor Joyce Carol Oates is interesting and informative but I wish I had read it after I read the stories. Not that she gives spoilers, but sometimes being told a story has a surprising twist is a bit of a spoiler.The copy I read was from my local public library.
    • 4/5
      I have been a fan of the Noir series for some time, and Prison Noir does not disappoint. This latest installment in the short story series offers a collection written by current and former prisoners. This is perhaps the grittiest, bleakest, and most violent of the ones I have read, but all of the stories are immensely readable, offering glimpses into a side of life that most of us will never experience. All is not dark; I enjoyed the comic relief in Timothy Pauley's story of "Gary Bridgway." High on my list of recommended reading.
    • 4/5
      Usually the Akashic books tap known writers together with some newcomers when creating these volumes. This time, acknowledging that any prisoner knows more about prison than even the best author (the few that had served sentences notwithstanding), they decided to accept submissions from people that are actually incarcerated (and there are writing programs in a lot of prisons anyway). From all the submissions, the editor Joyce Carol Oates chose and edited 15 - and they form this newest entry in the long running series. And as expected, prison does shine through. These are not always the polished stories that some of the big authors can pull out. And some of them are naive or even stupid in moments (what the editor saw in some is beyond me but then everyone has their own taste after all). But the overall impression is pretty positive - the stories show a span of life that most people had seen only in TV shows and movies - and it is easy to see how Akashic may even decide to go for a second volume. And as always - read the introduction only after you read the stories...
    • 5/5
      It seems to me that there can be no place in the U.S. darker (or more "noir") then our prisons. "Abandon Hope...." could be correctly be written at the front gates.Joyce Carol Oates has selected 14 bleak and well-written stories as well as one with some humor. They were written by people who are serving or have served prison terms, including one who was executed before the book was published. These men and women tell riveting tales of fighting their own demons, threat from other prisoners and the prison guards.Oates writes an interesting and stirring preface and certainly convinced me that there has to be prison reform.I highly recommend this book and I believe that you will think differently about news items that tell of someone's imprisonment.
    • 4/5
      "Prison Noir" is an interesting collection of short stories and a very worthy addition to the Akashic series of "noir" short stories that now totals several dozen. It is the fifth book in the series that I've read so far (Boston Noir, Mexico City Noir, Long Island Noir, Manila Noir, and Prison Noir) and is my current favorite of all of them. What makes this collection particularly interesting is that the stories are written by those most familiar with the book's theme, life in prison - the authors are either still in prison, have been released from prison or, in one case, have died there. An additional highlight of this collection is the book's introduction, in which Joyce Carol Oates considers why the reading public is so fascinated by prison stories, be they captured in print or on film.Among my favorite stories are these:"Tune Up" by Stephen Geez in which a group of prison musicians manage to lose themselves in their music right up until the moment it all goes wrong for them"Shuffle" by Christopher M. Stephen in which a longterm prisoner finds that his new "cellie" is going to ruin whatever quality of life he has managed to carve out for himself over the years."A Message in the Breath of Allah" by Ali E. Sareini in which a prison hospital orderly sends a series of personal messagers to Allah wanting to know why his prayers are still being ignored."Immigrant Song" by Marco Verdoni, a story about an illegal immigrant from Mexico who gets caught up in a crime and prison system he cannot hope to understand in time to save himself.These are my favorite stories but they will almost certainly not be the favorites of everyone who reads "Prison Noir." That's the beauty of this short story collection; the variety of writing style, character development, and plot ensures that there is something here for every fan of noir fiction. Enjoy.
    • 4/5
      These 15 stories by prisoners focus a spotlight on the isolation and loneliness of prison life—pretty grim stuff, in my opinion. The introductory essay by Ms Oates is excellent; she briefly reviews the stories and introduces the authors. Read the essay and the stories and then reflect on prison life in the US. Well worth the effort.

    Book preview

    Prison Noir - Joyce Carol Oates

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