"A powerful addition to prison literature that will interest scholars of feminist criminology, prison studies, English, women's studies, sociology, and ethnic studies. While other anthologies feature the narratives of incarcerated women, this book is unique in that it includes rich narratives in which women describe what reading and books mean to them."
Jodie Michelle Lawston, coeditor of Razor Wire Women: Prisoners, ... Read moreActivists, Scholars, and Artists "Megan Sweeney's The Story Within Us is a prime example of the rich evidence of reading for which many historians would be tempted to trade their nearest and dearest… These narratives show that women prisoners do not digest approved reading materials uncritically but use such literature as a coping mechanism on their own terms.
SHARP News   "Riveting and poignant, the voices of these incarcerated women speak to the value of promoting autobiographical reflections and of reading as a therapeutic and community-building resource in prisons and society at large. A stimulating cry for social and familial change."
Patricia E. O'Connor, author of Speaking of Crime: Narratives of Prisoners "Megan Sweeney's The Story Within Us is a prime example of the rich evidence of reading for which many historians would be tempted to trade their nearest and dearest. . . . These narratives show that women prisoners do not digest approved reading materials uncritically but use such literature as a coping mechanism on their own terms.
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