This Book Is Free and Yours to Keep (Paperback)

Connie Banta

ISBN 10: 1959000357 / ISBN 13: 9781959000358

Published by West Virginia University Press, Morganstown, 2024

Paperback. This Book Is Free and Yours to Keep presents a captivating collection of letters and artwork by people in prison that highlights the crucial work done by the Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP), a nonprofit that provides books to incarcerated people in West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Maryland. Through the words of people directly impacted by the criminal punishment system, the collection provides uncommon insight into reading practices and everyday life in prisons and jails while being an inspiration for prison book projects, prison reform, and abolition. Simultaneously communicating the vital importance of access to books and education, and conveying the power of community, the letters sent to APBP by incarcerated people spark conversations about race, poverty, and incarceration and shed light on the movement for accountability for state violence. This Book Is Free and Yours to Keep elucidates the violence and neglect perpetuated by carceral systems and offers a way forward based on solidarity and collaboration. A captivating collection of letters and artwork by people in prison that highlights the crucial work done by the Appalachian Prison Book Project, a nonprofit that provides books to incarcerated people in West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Maryland. An inspiration for prison book projects, prison reform, and abolition. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781959000358

Synopsis:

2024 Weatherford Award Winner, Nonfiction

This Book Is Free and Yours to Keep presents a captivating collection of letters and artwork by people in prison that highlights the crucial work done by the Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP), a nonprofit that provides books to incarcerated people in West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Maryland. Through the words of people directly impacted by the criminal punishment system, the collection provides uncommon insight into reading practices and everyday life in prisons and jails while being an inspiration for prison book projects, prison reform, and abolition.

Simultaneously communicating the vital importance of access to books and education, and conveying the power of community, the letters sent to APBP by incarcerated people spark conversations about race, poverty, and incarceration and shed light on the movement for accountability for state violence. This Book Is Free and Yours to Keep elucidates the violence and neglect perpetuated by carceral systems and offers a way forward based on solidarity and collaboration.

About the Author: Connie Banta is a social activist serving on the APBP Board of Directors, book artist, poet, and retired therapist living in Morgantown, WV. Kristin DeVault-Juelfs is a social worker, therapist, and former APBP work-study student and APBP volunteer from West Virginia. Destinee Harper is a researcher and activist for education access in prison. Katy Ryan is a literature professor and founder of APBP. Ellen Skirvin is a teacher, fiction writer, and dedicated APBP volunteer. 

Bibliographic Details

Title: This Book Is Free and Yours to Keep (...
Publisher: West Virginia University Press, Morganstown
Publication Date: 2024
Binding: Paperback
Condition: new