The Prisoner's Wife: A Memoir

Rating:
Summary: I kept waiting for the story to begin
Review: The Prisoner's Wife was an interesting and poignant memoir. Asha Bandele writes beautifully. I was mesmerized by the poetic flow of her words from the very beginning. However, I, like one of the other reviewers, believe that Ms. Bandele was so focused on the poetry that she failed to tell a complete story. I kept waiting for the real story to begin. I was looking for descriptions of her day-to-day experiences, what she did to cope with the lonliness, specific details of the beginnings of their relationship, how they came to fall in love in the first place. I wanted to truly understand Asha and what led her to become "The Prisoners Wife"-- but the author never truly let us see her complete self. While she shared her painful past, the story seemed as if it had been written by an outside observer-- not the person who'd actually experienced the pain firsthand. As beautiful a story as it was, I think the soul of the story was missing.

Rating:
Summary: a very revealing, realistic, reflection of prison love
Review: This is an excellent book, with very intriguing details and inner thoughts reflected by the author. This book will make you realize just how strong love really is. GREAT AUTHOR!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: One of the most revealing, raw love stories I've ever read.
Review: I was 'stuck' to the grace and the honesty of Bandele's writing style while she willingly and bravely exposed herself and her husband to the reader. I learned things that frightened me and opened my eyes to my own stories of love, abuse, healing, faith and the controversy of crime and the american prison industry. In tears and laughter, I proclaim this young woman a prolific and brilliant artist and humanitarian.

Rating:
Summary: powerfully honest
Review: Asha is a writer who speaks the truth and does not spare the reader. It is a love story, but does not romanticize the seperation that the prison industrial complex creates. I could not put it down.

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Summary: An Inspiring Testimony to the Power of Love
Review: Like everyone I know who has read asha bandele's The Prisoner's Wife, I read it without stopping and wanted the story never to end. This memoir is a blessing on all of us who have loved deeply and apparently against reason. It's easy to lose sight of love's power to redeem and to heal the wounds it makes. Through asha's story, the heartbroken among us are reminded to keep faith by continuing to love. This story proves that love's power is stronger than steel and able to penetrate maximum-security walls in our own lives. With more and more of our family members and loved ones experiencing prison, The Prisoner's Wife is--most preciously--a calling for us to claim people behind bars as whole, dimensional, redeemed and redemptive members of our communities. Asha describes a love in which her partner is able to nurture and strengthen her at a distance and despite society's definition of him as criminal. The Prisoner's Wife proves love's capacity to transform our lives into beautiful from ugly, into radiant from broken. Read it as a mediation on welcoming love back into your life.

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Summary: For me this book truly hit home!!
Review: Two of my friends that are incarcerated told me that I had to read this book. They were right. I think Mrs. Bandela did an excellent job. However although the book is a love story I expected her to give the reader more insight on the many indignities the inmates and their visitors have to endure. It seems to me that everyone is insensitive to men incarcerated until it hit homes. When its their brother, or their father, or their husband. Which for blacks is more often than not. I shed tears as I read every other chapter. I know how you feel asha. Because I too am "The Prisoner's Wife". There are so many others like myself who hide there man's where abouts. Because of the stigma of being involved with a man in incarcerated. People began to question your sanity. I used to do the same thing. After reading your book I realized that I have nothing to be ashamed of. If any thing I am very proud of Shariff. When I went to visit him I had to apologize to him for all of these many years of hiding him from people. Our visits continue to be tense at times. But for me every moment with Shariff is invigorating and time well spent. He is my breath of fresh air when my world becomes polluted. If anyone can remain in love after dealing with such unnatural circumstances, they deserve to be together, and true love has definitely prevailed. The letter at the end of the book has left me curious to know how things are between you and Rashid. Thanks again for sharing your story.

Rating:
Summary: A piece of garbage by a lost soul
Review: This book is a total piece of garbage. Mrs. Bandele tries way too hard to write beautifully and lyrically and, in some places, she does succeed. But her success is at the price of her honesty. I mean, she never really gets real. She never deals up front with the fact that this man who loves her so has murdered another human being. She never deals up front with the fact that it's easy to have the perfect love when the man is sitting in a cell and has no other women walking down the street, calling on the phone and talking to him about their poetry and their past. So what if their trailer visit was interrupted by a roll call? The person who her husband killed isn't getting laid. This book reads like a bad Lifetime cable movie of the week. Hey, maybe in a year or two, it'll probably even be one. Then, I suppose, all the hardship and all the indignity will have paid off for Mrs. Bandele but everyone who reads this trash will be left bankrupt.

Rating:
Summary: Will make a believer out of all who read it.
Review: An outstanding memoir and love story, full of unflinching revelations that makes every word ring true. This is a tale of two hearts that have leapt barriers to forge a love that throbs with passion and devotion. Read it!

Rating:
Summary: This, as asha says is a love story.
Review: An all consuming book of love and devotion. What it takes to maintain a prison relationship will astonish you. Asha tells it like it is. From one prison wife to another, asha has done a wonderful job of detailing the doubts, frustrations and fears, but mostly of the extreme love that is involved.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ!!!
Review: I personally recommend this wonderful, soul-bearing, intimate book to anyone. A wonderful author, she captivated my attention with her easy to follow, interesting story.

It's an intimate look at a woman's struggle, challenges, and rewards during her life and during her relationship to a man in prison.