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American Prison
American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey Into the Business of Punishment | Shane Bauer
A ground-breaking and brave inside reckoning with the nexus of prison and profit in America: in one Louisiana prison and over the course of our country's history. IIn 2014, Shane Bauer was hired for $9 an hour to work as an entry-level (…more)
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LoverOfLearning
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I have discovered my favorite style of non-fiction writing. Gut-wrenching situations written from the perspective of a journalist. I've read 3 books in this format and I gave all of them 5 🌟.

Do you have other similar recommendations?

Also, if you really get to know me, you would soon learn that I don't shut about about American Prison. It is infuriating yet somehow shocking. I promote it constsntly especially because I work with offenders.

Ruthiella I‘ve read very little in this area, but can recommend 2y
Decalino Behind the Beautiful Forevers is unforgettable. What a powerful book! 2y
LoverOfLearning @Decalino Right! I studied it in undergrad! 2y
Hooked_on_books I‘ve read both American Prison and A False Report and agree, both are outstanding. There‘s a book from last year that I was a little reluctant to read initially but is in the same vein and is phenomenal, so I‘m so glad I read it: 2y
LoverOfLearning @Hooked_on_books oooh! Definitely will check out! Thanks! 2y
43 likes5 comments
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SpaceCowboyBooks
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Today's reading

LoverOfLearning I don't stop talking about this book. I was so captivated yet traumatized by this. I gave it 5 stars and recommended it to anyone who listens. Especially because I work with criminal offenders. What were your thoughts?! 2y
SpaceCowboyBooks @LoverOfLearning It was definitely intense. And it solidified my belief that privatized prisons should not exist. We really need to work towards constructive healing instead of punishment in system that makes things worse. The author was certainly brave to report on this. 2y
LoverOfLearning @SpaceCowboyBooks I absolutely agree. Private prisons should be banned at a federal level. Very brave to go under cover! Just wow! This is why i will never stop talking about this book, noone knows private prison / systematic slavery exist 2y
40 likes1 stack add3 comments
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LoverOfLearning
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A brilliant piece of undercover investigative journalism centering on the history and ultimately the systematic trauma within for-profit prisons. He is the first person to publicly exploit this failing system.

Yes, the book is as captivating and eye-opening as the decription above. I was hooked from page 1. A must read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#letterA #alphebetgame @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you for playing! 2y
tokorowilliamwallace Have you read from Angela Y. Davis and her thoughts on this? I think her writing would pair with this very well. 2y
48 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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ChaoticMissAdventures
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Mehso-so

3⭐
I had big hope for this, but mostly it fell between flat and a bit annoying. I appreciate and think Bauer did well in talking about the history of the US prison system by his continued references to The Stanford Prison Experiment - a defunked and discredited college experiment.
I also was a bit floored that Bauer tried to compare himself getting a job as a prison guard to Nelly Bly having herself committed to an asylum with no way out.

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ChaoticMissAdventures
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Listening to this #bookspin book on audio. It has been on my TBR since 2018.
I am already a bit thrown off at Bauer's immediate use of a quote by Philip Zimbardo - of the defunked Standford Prison Experiment.
I understand that this writer is a journalist and not a psychologist but I would think if you are writing a book on prisons you would do some research on the quotes you are pulling.
Not a great start.

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britt_brooke
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Working undercover, Bauer quickly shifted from journalist to full-on corrections officer. His goal was to expose corruption in private prisons, but what resulted was much more personal. This is part Bauer‘s experience, part history. Stylistically, it‘s a bit clunky, but background is necessary for understanding the current context. The US system is shit; has always been shit. Private prisons must go. Public prisons must be reformed.

Cinfhen Definitely must read!! You‘re blowing through all these #NF reads🙌🏻💕 4y
Hooked_on_books I found this book so eye-opening. Really good. 4y
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britt_brooke @Cinfhen I‘m on a roll! 😂 I‘m at 50% NF on the year so far. Been working on this one for a few weeks for my IRL book club. It‘s a few of my childhood friends, and I lead weekly discussions in our private fb group. 💚 4y
Cinfhen do you find weekly discussions/breakdown is more conducive than monthly discussion?? Does everyone usually chime in on the weekly‘s?? It‘s so nice that it‘s with childhood friends 💚💚💚 4y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen Of our 8 members, only half are consistent participants, which is kind of annoying, but I‘ve learned to accept it. 🙄😬 I‘d prefer to back off to maybe every 2 weeks or once a month, but my active ladies say weekly helps hold them accountable. We just started our 2nd year. Most of them read 1-2 books a month, so I‘m happy to help influence them. 😂 4y
Cinfhen Keep on #SpreadingTheBookishLove 🙌🏻💕And if YOU get to pick the books EVEN BETTER 😁 4y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen I picked a fair amount of them last year, but this year we‘re taking turns. Although, everyone seems to think they need to run their selections by me first, lol .... and I did nix one already. 😆 4y
Cinfhen Veto power ♥️ 4y
110 likes3 stack adds10 comments
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LoverOfLearning
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Pickpick

Such an enthralling and maddening story of system racism and slavery. This non-fiction book is about an undercover reporter who in 2014 has exploited private prisons for the very first time. Bauer speaks from his point of view from being under cover and he deeply describes how private prisons often became a place to hide slavery and racism and turn them into a profit.

I strongly recommend this book for those interested in America's history.

45 likes2 stack adds
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ClairesReads
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Mehso-so

Although I ultimately liked this book, I felt in the end that it wasn‘t really sure what kind of book it wanted to be. It was part expose about the corruption and mismanagement of one private prison in America, part history of the privatisation of the incarceration industry. In the end, I felt neither of these aspects realised their potential, and weren‘t woven together effectively.

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NAM99
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Pickpick

Having never known someone in prison, this book for a very important read. The way prisoners are able to be treated in this country is abhorrent and oftentimes we as a society just don‘t know it.

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ClairesReads
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New audiobook because I need to listen to something bleak that has nothing to do with the education sector

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CaitlinR
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Pickpick

You know, of all of the brutal images presented in this powerful book, the one that haunts me comes one of the many sections devoted to the history of incarceration:
“Labor wasn‘t the only way Louisiana made money from it‘s prisoners before the civil war. It also sold inmates‘ children into slavery.” (p. 95)

The inhumane practice of running prisons as lucrative businesses continues to this day. This book is essential, timely reading.

Suet624 Horrid 4y
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Gina
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Pickpick

Wow was this book an eye opener. It definitely sheds light on a layer of our society that I had no idea was going on!

Tamra I can only imagine.... 5y
LoverOfLearning Ohhh I'm currently reading this one. 5y
LoverOfLearning I'm studying forensic psychology so this is right up my alley of stidy. 5y
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Gina
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Ummmm... so this whole private prison thing is very terrifying...

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Gina
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Well, looks like Australia wasn't the only dumping ground for criminals...

wanderinglynn Yes, the initial impetus behind Georgia's founding came from James Oglethorpe, who envisioned the new colony as a refuge for the debtors who crowded London prisons. Of course that didn‘t quite happen, but an estimated 50,000 British convicts were sent to America through a system of indentured servitude. (edited) 5y
Gina @wanderinglynn yes I just read about that. This book is really an eye opener. 5y
12 likes2 comments
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Minervasbutler
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Pickpick

Shane Bauer worked undercover as a prison guard to research this horrific account of life in a private prison in Louisiana and interweaves the account of his training and months on the job with an historical account of how the southern states compensated for the loss of slavery by the simple expedient of locking up as many black men as possible and making them labour in horrific conditions in the penitentiaries. An important, angry book.

DrexEdit If you haven‘t read it yet, a good follow up might be Just Mercy which tells a somewhat parallel story from an outside point of view with a huge heart and compassion for these discarded people. 5y
Minervasbutler @DrezEdit thanks for the tip! 5y
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rachelm
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Pickpick

Excellent! Especially if you were moved by The New Jim Crow, this is an good follow up of issues with CCA specifically, but private prisons in general. I don‘t think I‘ve binge-listened to nonfiction in a while but this was easy to do that with!

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rachelm
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Omg seriously this book is incredible. Nonfiction, half history about how America‘s penitentiary system developed and half the author‘s undercover reporting when he took a job as a CO in a prison.

Blueberry I heard him talk at a book festival last year and have been planning to read his book. 5y
rachelm @Blueberry it is worth the read! 5y
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PaperbackReader
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“I believe that pain increases the intelligence of the stupid, and if inmates want to act stupid, then we‘ll give them some pain to help increase their intelligence level.” Great reading while in training on how to deal with offenders!

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Rachel_nyc
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Pickpick

Having read the Mother Jones article that prefaced the book, I‘d been wanting to read this since it came out and am glad I finally did. It was not a pleasant read of course, but an important one. The author not only describes his experience going undercover as a prison guard with shocking honesty but also discusses the horrific details of private and state run prisons throughout the U.S‘s history. #ATY2019

Liz_M Have you read The New Jim Crow? If so, how does this compare? It looks like a good suggestion for my bookclub. 5y
Rachel_nyc @Liz_M I haven‘t read it yet but plan to. American Prison is more about the history and the reporter‘s experience focusing on the problems of the for profit prison system. I think it would be a good complement to The New Jim Crow book but they seem to be very different in their focus. 5y
22 likes2 comments
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Amiable
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My current situation 😎

AmyG Enjoy! 5y
Amiable @AmyG Here in New England we take advantage of every warm day we can! 😀 5y
marleed Nice! 5y
Mollyanna Lovely! 5y
BooknerdsLife What a beautiful spot to read 😍 5y
90 likes5 comments
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Exbrarian
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#30JuneBooks #audiobooks @howjessreads

I've only completed a half dozen audiobooks in my life. I'm very particular about the voices I want to listen to for any length of time. I REAlLLY enjoy silence.

That said, I've been slowly working through the tagged book for the past month or so and I plan to finish it tomorrow. Recommended if you are into non-fiction, social justice, prison reform, etc...

Amiable I just started this book about an hour ago! 5y
howjessicareads How interesting! I really don‘t enjoy silence... 5y
38 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Exbrarian
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#30junebooks - day 11 - shocking!

I'm not shocked by much. I already knew that prisons needed reform. But I find it SHOCKING how blatantly exploitative and racist the American for-profit prison complex is, and I'm only halfway through the tagged book.

My first #30junebooks post. I hope I did it right.

howjessicareads You did! 🙂 6y
45 likes1 comment
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Exbrarian
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I don't typically post until I'm finished with a book, but WOW...

I'm about 1/3 of the way through this one and it is gripping investigative journalism. Abolish the private prison industry.

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Kalalalatja
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Pickpick

This book is CRAZY! I can‘t even articulate into words how f***ed up the history and present day of private prisons are. I don‘t think I would have read this book, if it wasn‘t for the #MarchMadnessChallenge, but I‘m glad I did!

Bauer did a bit of a #creep move, and got hired as a prison guard, as a way to see the reality behind private prisons. His own feelings, thoughts and reflections were my favourite part!

#AnglophileApril

Cinfhen Sounds like a must read 6y
Mdargusch This sounds like a tough read but a very important one. 6y
Reviewsbylola This sounds fascinating. Interesting aside, I read an article that named our local prison as one of the worst in the country. My boss is an attorney and visits clients there pretty frequently. I asked him if it was true and he said absolutely. After his visits, he won‘t even wear his clothes back in the house. He takes his suit off first in case he has picked up any type of bugs, etc. 😬 (edited) 6y
See All 6 Comments
emilyhaldi So depressing 😖 but an important read 6y
Kalalalatja @Cinfhen @Mdargusch @emilyhaldi I can‘t wrap my head around it. And hearing how Bauer actually start to “like” the power of a prison guard and what it does to him, is so interesting, but so disturbing as well. No wonder there are so many bad guards in this book. @Reviewsbylola Wow, that is pretty insane! I get that people who have commited crimes need to be punished, but that doesn‘t mean they have to live in filth and inhuman conditions 6y
Rachel_nyc I have a hold on this now. I read the Mother Jones article that it‘s based on and was horrified. I‘m sure it will be a difficult read but I‘m still eager to get to it. 6y
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tholmz
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Pickpick

So well done and infuriating. Abolish private prisons.

8 likes2 stack adds
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Nitpickyabouttrains
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Pickpick

Bauer does some intense investigative journalism by becoming a guard at a prison in the American south. He does this undercover. The internal changes he goes through are almost as interesting as what happens in the prison.

20 likes2 stack adds
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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

Shane Bauer takes a deep dive into the US prison system, specifically private prisons, by going undercover as a guard in a Louisiana prison. What he unveils is nothing short of human rights violations writ large. He also incorporates some history of US prisons to show that, sadly, what he finds nowadays is an improvement. This is a horrifying book.

62 likes2 stack adds
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DMC_run8
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Pickpick

In 2014 journalist Shane Bauer went undercover as a correctional officer in a for-profit prison in Louisiana. A scathing look at the history of the prison system in the US and today's for profit prisons, Bauer deftly weaves together the past and present to bring to light and issue that few people care to know about but absolutely should.

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mreads
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Just realized yesterday's review of American Prison didn't include my #nonfiction2019 something with politics prompt. @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Looks good! I think I may have to read that one. Have you tried 6y
mreads @Riveted_Reader_Melissa not yet but it's on my TBR 6y
40 likes2 comments
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mreads
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Mehso-so

I agree with the premise and the points the book is making about the private prison system I think the original article would have been enough for me or a drier book with more stats and history and less of the author musings. There was just too much anticdotal inclusions, a couple of conversations as examples but there were so many of the same type.
If you like that type of detail then you'd like this book.⬇️

mreads A book often mentioned by the author I'll definitely be checking out 6y
46 likes1 stack add1 comment
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DMC_run8
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Page 19. I've already picked my jaw up off the floor several times.

1 like1 stack add
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CleverGirl
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That‘s fd up.

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DocBrown
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Pickpick

This isn‘t the tour de force that Newjack is. Having said that, it‘s still an important read that points out how incarceration in America has always been motivated by profit, & that private prisons are worse than government-operated facilities. These analyses are some of the book‘s strongest contributions. Also fascinating are the author‘s own backstory, & the ways his work as an undercover journalist becomes part of the story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DocBrown Help! Taking suggestions for a light read after 3 heavy books in a row. What do you recommend as a palate-cleanser?? 6y
Nebklvr @mdhughes72 David Rosenthal Andy Carpenter mystery. 6y
Gina This is an interesting fictional murder mystery. 6y
See All 6 Comments
JenReadsAlot I really enjoyed this book but it also pissed me off! 6y
DocBrown Thanks @Nebklvr and @Gina for your recommendations. @JenReadsAlot you should check out 6y
JenReadsAlot Will do! 6y
75 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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AlexGeorge
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Pickpick

Essential reading. Harrowing but completely necessary. A brilliant account of how profit comes ahead of humanity in the private prison system. Read it, please!

29 likes2 stack adds
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rmaclean4
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Pickpick

First book of 2019. Difficult but important read. Fills two of the #readharder challenges, written by a journalist and a book written in a prison. Listened to on #scirbd.

15 likes1 stack add
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rmaclean4
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Getting a start on 2019 Read Harder challenge. I am doing three reading challenges in 2019. Read Harder...Reading Women...Modern Mrs. Darcy. How many challenges do you do in a year?

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AlexGeorge
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Just over 50 pages in and completely gripped.

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JenReadsAlot
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Pickpick

This book really pissed me off. It's all about profit and not people. I've worked in a jail for 14 years and proud of the work we do for the inmates we serve. I'm pretty sure I would quit if we ever become privatized.

Jee_HookedOnBookz Wowwww you're the first person I across who had worked in a prison! It must be challenging! 6y
Tamra It‘s terrible - common sense should tell anyone privatization is ripe for abuse. 6y
JenReadsAlot @Jee_HookedOnBookz I'm a therapist so it is a challenge on many levels! 6y
Jee_HookedOnBookz @JenReadsAlot hats off to you! 6y
36 likes4 comments
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Christine
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Pickpick

I have mixed feelings about this. Definitely a valuable exposé. Bauer‘s background and perspective are compelling, and I really appreciated learning more about the history of for-profit prisons in the U.S. At times the tone bordered on sensationalism, and I guess some aspects of undercover investigation just make me uneasy. But still, a pick for bringing attention to this element of the mass incarceration crisis.

JamieArc I thought it was interesting to hear of the experience that working in a prison had on him personally. 6y
Christine @JamieArc Agreed! Especially in light of having been a prisoner himself in the past. 6y
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NatalieR
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Pickpick

A journalist becomes employed in a private prison and writes about his experience. This is well written with the history of prisons, slavery, and contracted convicts woven throughout the narrative. Prison is no place to spend your time as an inmate and private prisons are the bottom of the barrel. It disgusts me that people make money off this. Trump is only making it worse. #Nonfiction2018

Amiable Trump is making everything worse. 😡 6y
114 likes5 stack adds2 comments
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bermudaonion
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After reading JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson, I‘m anxious to pick up this book about private prisons. @Penguinpress #bookexpo