News FeedArticle and Book Reviews
Gary McGivern’s life work
Click on the link below to read Michael’s most recent post on Change.org:
http://criminaljustice.change.org/blog/view/in_one_prisoners_life_work_inspiration
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave
Title: Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave
Date Read: January 19, 2010
Book title: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave
Author: Frederick Douglas
Book Publisher: Barnes and Noble Classics Series (1845/2003)
Non-Fiction / 126 pages
Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave was the 2nd book I read in 2010.
Why [...]
Lessons From Prison
Date Read: January 6, 2010
Book Title: Lessons From Prison
Book Author: Justin M. Paperny
Book Publisher: APS (2009)
Non Fiction/ 200 pages
Lessons From Prison was the first book I read in 2010
Why I read Lessons From Prison:
Justin Paperny, the author of Lessons From Prison, was confined with me at Taft Camp for about one year. While he was [...]
Mean Justice: A Town’s Terror, a Prosecutor’s Power, a Betrayal of Innocence
Date Read: November 30, 2009
Book title: Mean Justice: A Town’s Terror, a Prosecutor’s Power, a Betrayal of Innocence
Author: Edward Humes
Book Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1999)
Non-Fiction / 491 pages
Mean Justice: A Town’s Terror, a Prosecutor’s Power, a Betrayal of Innocence was the 18th book I read in 2009.
Why I read Mean Justice:
A few years ago, in [...]
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Date Read: December 3, 2009
Book title: A Short History of Nearly Everything
Author: Bill Bryson
Book Publisher: Broadway Books (2003)
Non-Fiction / 544 pages
A Short History of Nearly Everything was the 19th book I read in 2009.
Why I read A Short History of Nearly Everything:
A friend I met at Taft Camp, Steve Urie, recommended this book to me. [...]
The Upside of Fear
Date Read: December 7, 2009
Book title: The Upside of Fear
Author: Weldon Lang
Book Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press (2009)
Non-Fiction / 199 pages
The Upside of Fear was the 20th book I read in 2009.
Why I read The Upside of Fear:
My friend Justin Paperny, read a review of The Upside of Fear and suggested that I read the [...]
A Moveable Feast
Date Read: July 22, 2009
Book title: A Moveable Feast
Author: Ernest Hemingway
Book Publisher: Touchstone (1964)
Non-Fiction / 211 pages
A Moveable Feast was the 12th book I read in 2009.
Why I read A Moveable Feast:
A friend of mine here at Taft Camp, Steve Urie, passed along A Moveable Feast to expose me to the wonderful writing of Ernest [...]
Writing With Style
Book Title: Writing With Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing
Book Author: John R. Trimble
Book Publisher: Prentice-Hall (1975)
Date Read: June 19, 2009
Nonfiction / 143 pages
Writing With Style was the 9th book I read in 2009.
Why I read Writing With Style:
This was the second of two books on writing style that Peggy, a professor of English [...]
Beyond Bars Book Review
Last Friday, after visiting with Carole, I returned to my housing unit and saw that I had received a book in the mail. The book was written by two professors, both of whom have experience with the prison system, from different perspectives: one of the professors served time in the 1980s for a pot conviction, [...]
My Book Review of An American in the Gulag
Book Author: Alexander Dolgun
Book Title: Alexander Dolgun’s Story: An American in the Gulag
Date Read: June 27, 2009
Book Publisher: Valentine Books (1974)
Nonfiction/ 503 pages
American Gulag was the 10th book I read in 2009:
Reason I read An American in the Gulag:
I have been a fan of Russian literature for several decades, ever since I read my first [...]
Article: Paul is Being Released From Prison Today
Read Michael’s latest article on Change.org here:
Ready for Release?
Posted by Michael Santos
Jun 30 @ 10:10AM PT
Other recent Change.org articles by Michael:
My First Days: Adjusting to Life in Prison
Posted by Michael Santos
Jun 15 @ 10:10AM PT
The Importance of Recreation
Posted by Michael Santos
Jun 07 @ 04:46AM PT
Strategies for Successful Release
Posted [...]
Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace
Date Read: June 11, 2009
Book Title: Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace
Author: Joseph M. Williams
Publisher: Pearson/Longman (2006)
Nonfiction: 148 pages
Style was the eighth book I read in 2009.
Reason I read Style:
I am very fortunate to have found mentors who help me. Recently, I made a friend here at Taft Camp. My new friend’s name is [...]
Book Review: When Prisoners Come Home
Date Read: May 6, 2009
Title: When Prisoners Come Home
Author: Joan Petersilia, PhD
Publisher: Oxford University Press (2003)
Nonfiction/296 pages
When Prisoners Come Home was the seventh book I read in 2009
Why I read When Prisoners Come Home:
On March 27 of this year, Carole relayed an email message from Professor Joan Petersilia, a distinguished criminologist who is now Professor [...]
Prison Author Joe “Black” Reddick, My Friend
The New York Times published a feature article by Peter Duffy that described my friend Joe Reddick as a prison author. I knew Joe as Joe Black, which was the name he used in prison. I feel very proud to have played a role in influencing Joe to develop his writing talents as a strategy [...]
Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance
Date Read: March 1, 2009
Book Title: Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance
Book Author: Tony Dungy with Nathan Whitaker
Book Publisher: Tyndale House/2009
Nonfiction/260 pages
Uncommon was the fifth book I finished reading in 2009.
Reasons I read Uncommon:
I have been a fan of Tony Dungy’s leadership style ever since I saw profiles of him during the Super Bowl for [...]
