by highlighting the vengeful hate and persecution of the snitch
597752
Avi Steinberg lights the way to the world of prison through his experiences as head librarian in one of America's toughest prisons. The reader follows Steinberg's light, generated through humor; sometimes dark, through compassion, and the desire to understand and discern.

Further, Avi casts his light on the absurdity of prison politics (a pernicious mechanism used by guards, prison administrators and cons, a flawed human behavior that exist in every prison in the world and always will), by highlighting the vengeful hate and persecution of the snitch, no matter the situation. Justice inside prison walls for the worker and the prisoner is rare because of the snitch mentality that is honored by those who live on one side of the key and those who work on the other.

I'm glad to see books like this. The quality of life in a country is only as good as its institutions. Besides being entertained, the thoughtful reader will realize how commonly close those of us on the outside are in attitudes and behaviors with those on the inside of America's correctional facilities.

According to Avi, America holds "the biggest penal system in the history of the world. America has 5 percent of the world's population, 25 percent of the world's prison population." (pg. 394) Avi doesn't offer solutions or ideas to improve the system; he tells his experience. Hopefully the right people will read his book, and some folks who are in the right position will suggest better ways of administering our nation's prisons, and what seems to me like an over-whelming task, that of lowering the rate of repeat offenders
3429959
Fantastic book. It can make one very angry at the police, the NOPD in particular, and the premeditated coverup that tried to deny the aggrieved families any semblance of justice. But all things come out in the wash. I am glad the families received some justice, and glad as well that the persons involved were punished. Please read.
193713
I've been watching you! Just the thought of being watched while unaware of the watcher sends shivers down my spine. The horrors of being watched for reasons of raping and killing is the evil of a psychopath.
4405099
The title of the book should actually be "Why Greedy Law Enforcement Criminally Conspire with Area Hospitals and DHS to Execute Hyper-Realistic Capstone Events in order to Shape Public Opinion Against Members of Minority Groups." In Near v. Minnesota, Justice Charles Evans Hughes writes: "[T]he administration of government has become more complex, the opportunities for malfeasance and corruption have multiplied, crime has grown to most serious proportions, and the danger of its protection by unfaithful officials and of the impairment of the fundamental security of life and property by criminal alliances and official neglect, emphasizes the primary need of a vigilant and courageous press, especially in great cities...."
3359198
Yikes, What a crazy ride!

What was born as fear and grief has long since blossomed into hatred and rage

Its ironic, really. That, cunning as they all are, they don't realize their judge, jury and executioner stands before them, painted in roses and ink.

She's a bad bitch, no doubt. Can not wait to see how this turns out!
946436
Slavery by Another Name:This is a gut wrenching narrative of the inhumane treatment of American citizens in America the bastion of democracy. The information was well researched and collated in sequence to tell a story and revealed the dark ugly underbelly of humanity in the southern states. The narrative illustrates the reason for black people mistrust of government institutions and the whites that operate these institutions. The stories of these atrocities were so brutal and repulsive I had to read some parts and take calming breaks. I thought sometimes I was reading stories from the Third Reich. Thanks to the brave souls who tried to defend innocent black people. The book reveals the impotence of the federal government to ignore the innocent in order to get political leverage. This is a must read for student sof history, but few have the guts to face truths because truths will convict the conscience.
4426125
This story has a lot in common with Dostoevsky' s "Crime and Punishment" in that the detective has free rein to get inside the heads of the two suspects to force out admissions of guilt in the absence of real proof. One of the characters, Kimmel, is repugnant but intelligent. The other, Walter, is sympathetically portrayed, yet he is the blunderer who makes the ultimate blunder at the end of the story.
Another reading reveals this to be a retelling of the Whittaker Chambers-Alger Hiss saga that was occupying much of the media coverage when this novel was written. The physical descriptions match the two real-life antagonists, and the likable nature of Hiss is reflected in the portrayal of Walter. The huge amount of circumstantially incriminating but questionable evidence eventually traps Walter, much like Hiss' eventual conviction that seemed so incredible to people who were closely following the case. A question posed by this story is "what constitutes guilt?"
3378102
Dickens was part of a great humanistic effort, of the 1800s, that more than ever evoked and espoused the Christian principles of human respect for one another. Great Expectations is about the unexplicable evil youth encounters and how one should rise above the hate and vindictiveness of stupid, petty people. It is a book that explains that there is great suffering in the world and there are those that will hate you for no other reason than that you look the way you do, or simply for the fact you exist in the form you are, or have the ancestors you have. And this hate may never be fully exposed, but be there none-the-less, lingering in mysterious shadow and never seen. An honest read of this book by my ninth graders allowed some, who felt anger and self-pity in the form of vengful hate, to rise a little out of their cycle of dispare. The greatest revenge, some say, against your oppressor is to live happily. The book shows how a vengeful heart is so self mutilating and unfulfilling. Great Expectations runs the coarse of someone who managed to forgive. It is a moving book and one that gives inner strength and respectful grace and recognition to the divine in all of us. It is better to not get bogged down in a discussion of Dicken's personal life, which is a mixed bag, but just read the book. Why would ultra feminists hate this book? Because they hate. Hateful people will hate a book that so poignantly exposes these wreched people for what they are. The book also shows, most significantly, and contrary to much of the belief of the time, that bad people can reform and become good.  The significance of this, and its effect that Dicken's made upon this notion, is as haunting and deep a goodness as the evil Mrs. Havisham placed in Stela's soul.
4342075
A story about a devil's advocate whose decedents have to pay KARMA for the barbaric way He betrayed everyone involved.
1605875
It goes to show how a wicked mind can hurt innocent people who have done nothing to cause the lies being told.
1007382
I attended the funeral of one of the inmates murdered in that riot.  Those prisoners were set up by the guards and the warden.
Powell, you need to spend more of your time in church instead of writing this c--p.
Be ashamed and turn your profits over to the church you profess to attend
3242116
In his book "Satan Thinks in Black and White - Racism in the Congregations of America" Ronald B. Jimmerson, Sr. maintains that the first step toward stamping out racism in America is to understand the root causes that have resulted in the indoctrination of discrimination and prejudice prevalent in America today. Jimmerson challenges the Christian church to take the lead in building trust and unity truth, confession and forgiveness by actively addressing these issues.

Jimmerson's writing is confrontational and disturbing, thought provoking and convicting. The format of the book is compact with a balance of narrative, illustrations, and topical headings. The copious use of Biblical references adds to the value of the book as a resource tool for future individual or group study.

The reader is encouraged to take a stand against racist ideas and to move along the continuum of the Christian Walk from being a natural, carnal, or social Christian to a Spiritual Christian acting in accordance with the Biblical principles intended by God.

"Satan Thinks in Black and White - Racism in the Congregations of America" takes a serious look at the inroads of Satan's influence on the American church, culture, and history.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review purposes. The opinions expressed are my own.
2252461
Jessie Thompson was the son of a drug dealer turned snitch. Jessie's father, Lorenzo, was forced into telling on everyone in his drug crew in order to save his wife from a jail sentence. He had forced his wife, Cathy, to carry drugs against her will and she was caught red handed. After Lorenzo went to jail, everyone on the streets teased Jessie and even beat him for being the son of a snitch. His life was hard until he turned the tables and became one of the biggest drug dealers in the city. His problem was that he could not wash his father's downfall from his mind. As a result, he began using his own product and basically lost his mind. Revenge against all snitches was what he wanted. What Jessie wanted, Jessie got. He turned into a cold-blooded killer of anybody he even thought might be a snitch.

Michael Evans has written a compelling story of life on the streets. His characters are well fleshed out and believable. Occasionally, the book gets a touch confusing when the action gets heavy, especially in the beginning when Lorenzo and Jessie's lives are a bit mixed together. It is certainly a book that anyone considering becoming a drug dealer should read before they take that step. It is an interesting read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in what really happens on the streets.

Reviewed by Alice Holman

of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
1745710
This story covers a couple of decades and spotlights the determination and cooperation of different law enforcement agencies to put a truly evil serial killer behind bars forever.
4705781
Though a frequent reader of true crime, I have avoided any BTK book because of the grotesque depravity and evil of these crimes. The inclusion of the story of the killer's pastor helps ground this book in the context of what a good life should be, it includes a look at how the killer took advantage and used his church affiliation for hiding in plain sight. Also the insight and comments psychologists and others who work with troubled youth and criminals (including the Pastor's wife) included  were necessary and useful in mitigating the feeling of evil when reading the book. At the end, there is discussion of how some put the crimes in the context of the devil, but how psychologists and others have studied (via science, MRIs, etc) the physical aspects of the minds of killers and how their brains compare to those of non-violent people, thus putting the crimes in the context of personalities that simply have no ability to feel compassion, empathy, or a sense of others.
765693
Graphically shows what a demon LBJ was and at the same time what a tormented life he led.  The research involved was deep and multilayered.  Just look at the bibliography.  The people he had murdered alone is astounding.  In Kennedy's assassination he shows the clear collusion of the CIA, the FBI,and the mafia.  This is an awful period in the history of this country.  And it certainly makes one wonder about the evil surrounding the present presidency.
2210867
This account of a textbook classic definition narcissist murdering his first two wives and then being pursued doggedly by an Houston police homicide detective is very instructive to readers. The book reveals how domestic abuse and violence leads to death, but it also shows how perpetrators are crooked in other aspects of their lives as well. Hopefully, readers may learn what emotional abuse looks like and seek help on behalf of themselves or others. Well researched true crime story.