The Prisoner's Wife: A Memoir

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Summary: This is a book all Black women need to read
Review: This book has changed my life. The prose (which reads like poetry) touched me deeply, moving me past the differences that the author and I may share. Unlike Bandele, I am not married to a prisoner and do not have to face the vexing everyday issues that she must face. But I do know that we share a common bond, a vision for the future, and the dream of love. This powerful book speaks to the reader on more than just one level, it is a love story, a black woman's story, a story of struggle and the deepest joys. In short, it is a story about life and we all would do well to read a slice of Asha's life and attempt to understand. I strongly encourage anyone who is looking to be moved by a powerful story and beautiful words to read this book.

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Summary: Thank you, asha!!
Review: I was so moved by this book. It was if I wrote it myself. It was so validating to know that there is someone else out there who really knows what I feel. I think what stuck with me most was the line about couples being able to be together and taking that for granted...they don't know what a treasure it is to be able to hold hands and walk together. Thank you, asha for telling your story. I hope that when people read the book, it will move them to appreciate their relationships and to cherish them.

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Summary: The unexamined life is not worth living?
Review: I believe Socrates was right! Whether you believe Asha Bandele is overly insecure or incredibly intelligent it is hard to deny her sincerity. Asha really appears to be speaking straight from her heart, and with an openess that is not common. The way that she conveys truly complex emotions via glistening prose (if I want straight ahead boring writing I can read any number of news journals) is a feat worthy of praise, not admonishment. I don't think it was her intent to present a general picture of what it is like to be a "prisoner's wife." I believe she just wanted to tell her truth, regardless of its relevance to other perspectives, and I am happy she did. It was truly intriguing to read about how a couple built a relationship up from a base of earned mutual respect, while knowing all along that they may be forever denied the closeness many couples routinely take for granted. I will recommend it because of the skill she possesses as a writer, and because it definately will prompt good discussion on a wide variety of issues.

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Summary: Profoundly moving, lyrical and heartfelt.
Review: This book moved me to tears -- the best kind of love story: a REAL one. I never expected to become so engrossed in a story like the author's (her experience couldn't be farther from my own) and yet I was so transported . . . ever since I read this book I haven't been able to stop talking about it. And everyone I've recommended it to has been equally moved. Thank you, Asha, for sharing this intensely private and yet universally uplifting story of real-life love and devotion.

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Summary: Probably the most moving book I've ever read
Review: Not since THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD by Zora Neale Hurston have I been so moved by a book. asha bandele is a beautiful writer, whose prose and spirit guarantee this book to become part of the canon. If you love a love story, or think Romeo and Juliet could never have lived - read this book.

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Summary: "This is a love story."
Review: Five words that define this unforgettable book. The author tells us that when she began to write it they were "the only thing I could think to say, the only thing I thought I needed to say." A sentiment familiar to anyone who knows, or has known, love, and who feels there are simply no words to express how one feels. But, as demonstrated in this remarkable story, Ms. Bandele is a true master at "transforming emotions into language." I read it slowly, at turns lingering over the music and beauty of Ms. Bandele's prose, then awed by her courage and generosity at baring herself to the marrow of her soul without the benefit of a fictional character's mask. This is a book that will stay with me for a long, long time.

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Summary: It will make you reasses how well you love.
Review: The first lines of The Prisoner's Wife state that the story is a love story. Bandele's lyrical style made reading the book like reading an epic poem about pain, abuse, love and healing. The author's honesty and candor made her story one easy to relate to - even if you haven't ever endured long distance love or the prison system. The Prisoner's Wife is the most loving piece of lietrature that I have ver read. It made me appreciate the proximity and ease of my own relationships that I so often take for granted.

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Summary: Better titled 'Learning to Love myself & My Race'
Review: The heardest book I've EVER forced myself to read !! Asha would have us believeshe's smart. I'd of been better convinced if she'd not force fed it so Many times. Asha would have us bellieve this is a Love story. But she aborts theirLove child and her visits. I'm most upset over this title which IMHO isults allthe REAL prisoner's wives. Those of us who for years live on our phone calls, letters and hand holdin across the table. NOT the conjugals Asha was allowed to marry for and SO Few have access to. I think the book would of been better titled " Learning to Love Myself & my Race' and perhaps some day being able to face reality.' I gave my copy away. But,have yet to find, amongst the strong black women I know, ANY one who could getthrough it. I gave it ONE star cause that's the lowest this rating system would allow me to go.

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Summary: She sure doesn't represent all 'Prisoner's Wives'....
Review: Being the Significant Other of a man in prison, I read this book thinking I would find someone understanding of the situation I face, the trials and tribulations. The title should have been: 'The Prisoner's Wife if you are African American' because I found a very negative element to it, as though what Asha faced was a pain limited to her and her racial background alone.. I found her anger at the system sort of taking on a victim's mentality, when I feel it's important for the wife/family of a Prisoner to empower oneself as much as possible. I found it hard to relate, too, to her infidelity, and her 'love'. I couldn't understand cheating on my Significant Other. What distresses me is that I had hoped this book would make others see that having someone in prison in this situation does not make you a 'loser' nor any different from many people...but it sure didn't come off that way in this book. I would have liked to have seen more universalism in this book, and a speaking to everyone in it's pages, not just the AA population, which is how I viewed it. I found it more than a little racist, with an underlying tone of suppressed anger.

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Summary: Yawn
Review: This book was really boring. I kept waiting for the story to begin, and it never really got off the ground. The writing was, in the words of my seventh grade English teacher, "Too Flowery"