history
Texas prisoners can't read Texas prison history
Submitted by Gritsforbreakfast on Sat, 2010-05-15 16:54 Authored by GritsforbreakfastThe Statesman's Eric Dexheimer reports on the latest dustup over banned books at TDCJ:
The New York Times called it "an important reckoning." "A gripping history lesson," an Associated Press book reviewer declared.
"Anyone interested in America's prison system should read it," concluded The Dallas Morning News assessment of "Texas Tough," a new book covering the history of the state's corrections system.
One group with a natural interest in the subject has yet to crack the book's cover, however: Texas prisoners themselves. In March, mailroom handlers assigned to review incoming literature at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's James A. Lynaugh Unit in Fort Stockton judged a short passage in the opening chapter of "Texas Tough" about a girl's childhood molestation to be inappropriate for prisoners to read.
Go Down Together: D Magazine takes on Bonnie & Clyde
Submitted by Gritsforbreakfast on Tue, 2010-05-11 13:12 Authored by GritsforbreakfastThe "Book Club" at D Magazine's Frontburner blog over the last month focused on a book by a Texas author, Go Down Together: The Untold Story of Bonnie & Clyde. "GDT is out in paperback now," Frontburner informs us, "so you can pick up a copy for $16.99." (As always, of course, prices are even cheaper at Amazon.) Here are their posts describing the book:
