Synopsis
Written by a corrections officer with fifteen years on the job, this crusading look at the sordid world inside stone walls rings authenticity rarely found in books about prison life. Sparks fly when Dickenson speaks of racism, incompetent officers and administrators, extortion, sexual misconduct and physical and mental abuse.
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About the Author
Lee Dickenson is a former corrections officer and advocate for prison reform. He spent 15 years working as a corrections officer, which gave him an intimate, high-stress view of the American penal system. He began writing as a therapeutic way to process the emotional and mental impact of his career. His blunt and uncompromising style in books like The Sounding Tree and The Keepers of the Keys led to significant backlash and even personal threats due to his exposure of systemic abuse. Dickenson has used his platform to campaign for better oversight and reform within state and federal prisons
Reviews
Dickenson has spent 15 years as a corrections officer in the Connecticut penal system, and the 26 vignettes in this volume were taken from his experiences. It is interesting to compare his observations with those of inmate authors (e.g., Wilbert Rideau, Life Sentences, LJ 6/15/92; Jerome Washington, Iron Horse, LJ 9/15/94; Dannie Martin, Committing Journalism, LJ 11/1/93). Although Dickenson has some horror stories, his overall picture of prison is a place of petty annoyances, not a snake pit. His main concerns were getting along with fellow officers and obeying the administration's rules. One thing he does make clear, however, is that prison is a world unto itself, with its own code of conduct and even its own language, which he documents in a lengthy glossary. The book is probably too personal to appeal to the general reader, but it has enough information to make it useful for a large crime and criminal justice collection.?Frances O. Sandiford, Green Haven Correctional Facility Lib., Stormville, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Search results for The Sounding Tree: Voices Along the Razor Wire
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The Sounding Tree: Voices Along the Razor Wire
Published by
Lost Coast Press, Fort Bragg, CA, 1998
ISBN 10: 1882897242
ISBN 13: 9781882897247
Used
Soft cover
Signed
Seller: Harbor Books LLC, Old Saybrook, CT, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. Illustrated green card covers, 170pp inscribed by author to prior owner inside front cover, else contents unmarked. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 012767
Stock Image
The Sounding Tree: Voices Along the Razor Wire
Published by
Lost Coast Pr, Fort Bragg, California, U.S.A., 1998
ISBN 10: 1882897242
ISBN 13: 9781882897247
Used
Paperback
First Edition
Seller: Frank J. Raucci, Bookseller, Wallingford, CT, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Near Fine. First Edition. A NEAR FINE, bright, tight, clean, crisp, collector-worthy copy. INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author on the interior of the front cover: "Please enjoy this short walk in my shoes. Lee". "Prison is about power at its most basic level. But it's not just guards who have the power to physically and mentally abuse, and the power to terrify. Anyone can play power games inside the razor wire-inmates and officers, wardens and nurses. In "The Sounding Tree: Voices Along the Razor Wire" you'll learn the rules and the players."169 pages. "There are stories of the deaths of inmates at the hands of guards, or the deaths of guards at the hands of convicts. Some of these stories are true, but life behind the barbed wire is every bit as complex as life on Wall Street or Main Street. Lee Dickenson has been a corrections officer for 15 years and his account of the sordid world inside the stone walls surmounted by razor wire has a ring of authenticity rarely encountered in books about prison life." GK3. Inscribed and Signed By Author. Seller Inventory # 010334
Stock Image
The Sounding Tree: Voices Along the Razor Wire
Published by
Lost Coast Press, 1998
ISBN 10: 1882897242
ISBN 13: 9781882897247
Used
Softcover
First Edition
Seller: Project HOME Books, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. shelf wear, paperback Used - Good 1998 First Edition All purchases support Project HOME - ending homelessness in Philadelphia. Seller Inventory # DH06-000089