Prison from the Inside Out

Prison From the Inside Out is both a book and an act of trust: A black man from New Jersey and a white woman from New York meet in a workshop at a North Carolina prison. They decide they have something to tell the world about incarceration, self-esteem, personal growth, survival, and the power of trust. Together they have created this book."Being in these situations for a quarter of a century let me know what I'm made of. I'm not invincible. I'm a mere man of flesh and blood. But let...
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Prison From the Inside Out is both a book and an act of trust: A black man from New Jersey and a white woman from New York meet in a workshop at a North Carolina prison. They decide they have something to tell the world about incarceration, self-esteem, personal growth, survival, and the power of trust. Together they have created this book."Being in these situations for a quarter of a century let me know what I'm made of. I'm not invincible. I'm a mere man of flesh and blood. But let me tell you something: if we wanted to, me and my family, my friends, we could go through this struggle again. We're built like that. And everybody is. That's what we want to tell everybody. You are wonderfully made. You just don't know it. It took twenty-five years and a natural life sentence in prison for me to figure out that I was wonderfully made. How can I help you figure that out without the stick across your head? Please help me figure that out. 'Cause everybody don't survive the stick across the head. They just don't."- William "Mecca" ElmoreForceful, vivid, and utterly captivating. Every voice is fully alive, opinionated, smart, honest, articulate, and human--especially that of Mecca, the complex, thoughtful figure at the center. - Lydia Davis, fiction writer, MacArthur Fellow, Man Booker International PrizeIn his many years of incarceration, William 'Mecca" Elmore realized that words are more powerful than bars. This is also a love story dedicated to resistance, resilience, hope, unconditional love, and humility. - Jaki Shelton Green, North Carolina Poet LaureateBeautiful! A revealing oral history that opens up the world inside our prisons. - Timothy Tyson, Author Blood Done Sign My Name & The Blood of Emmett TillPrison From the Inside Out is Awesome. Just like William, It's Straight Up with No Chaser. - James Langston, Retired Superintendent, Wake Correctional