Rating: 
Summary: Emotional
Review: I thought the book A prisoners wife was powerful! You could feel the authors emotions understand her happiness pain and sadness. I reccomend this book to everyone!
Rating: 
Summary: Is this truly love?
Review: I purchased this book hoping that it would provide me with support and strength in my own life, for my best friend and true love is incarcerated. While I feel stronger after having read this book, it was not her story that gives me the srength. Ms. Bandele fails to appreciate all that she did have -- not only letters and phone calls but also twice weekly visits. At this point in my life, due to circumstances beyond my control, I cannot have visits, cannot reveal my true identity. Thus reading this book, which essentially amounts to a long lament rather than an appreciation for finding love, made me extemely angry. But, out of that anger has come a strength to carry on, to continue loving, to continue living and experiencing the best thing to happen to me. Prior to reading the book, I feared that Ms. Bandele had written the story that I so desperately want to tell, but she has not. Mine is better. Mine is a story of true love.So, if you read this book, be certain to know, that if it is true love that you feel for one incarcerated, it does not have to be as she describes. It can be better. It is only a fence that separates you from your love. Don't allow this book to cause you to give up as I believe she has.
Rating: 
Summary: Because not every prisoner is behind bars.
Review: Good for asha! Good for her accepting love where she found it - despite the beliefs, thoughts, and fears of her, our, middle class world. There are few African American families not touched by the penal system, most of us grew up with someone, knows someone, or is related to someone who if not in jail has been there. These people are our collective secrets we don't speak of them and we rather not claim them - much less fall in love and marry them. Asha bandale, makes us realizes that not all prisoners are behind bars and that locking down a body is whole lot different than locking down a spirit, a soul. Asha herself a prisoner of the destructive forces of alcohol, drugs and abusive relationships explores the needs whose manifestations were slowly killing her. She goes into the relationship from friendship to love, marriage and intimacy with great detail. I found it difficult at times to get past my "common sense" which dictates don't get involved with a man doing time, don't take collect calls from jail, and don't be some con's pen pal, but this is a love story and it hits you like that. While the system is always there, while you never forget that Rashid is incarcerated, asha somehow helps us transcend that - most of the time. The sheer force of asha's writing, the startling beauty applied to sometimes painful, sometimes ugly subjects, eases, cajoles, and moves the reader through almost a decade of confusion, confessions, loving, longing, and learning. This man, Rashid was, is the perfect man for this woman. He listened in a way that a man with outside world distractions might not have been able to. He was emotionally available if not physically so. He helped her shed the shackles that were holding her down and back. The only thing more I wanted from this book was to know that these two, asha and Rashid, are happy and together - I guess I'll just have to have a little faith. I hope more people, African American women in particular, read this book, it's not a call for women to go out and hang out at prisons to find men - it's a call to be open to the possibility of love.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully honest...
Review: It's not a pretty story, but the author tells it beautifully, and that's what kept me reading. Soulmates aren't perfect, and love isn't the answer. Sometimes, it's downright messy. Stories like this should lead us all into the deeper meaning of life and each other. All is not always what it seems, and who are we to judge. I admire her honesty about her situation. It's one to be both loved and loathed, and I know this story, her story, his story, had to be difficult to put on paper, and send out to the world to read, and judge. I look forward to another novel from this author, because her written voice is mesmerizing.
Rating:
Summary: Trememdous, emotional, and real.
Review: The Prisoner's Wife was riveting! I went through every emotion with Asha. I had tears in my eyes as I read her words. I felt her happiness, her pain, and her pleasure. I couldn't put the book down. We can only hope but to experience love with this intensity.
Rating:
Summary: Not alone
Review: As a woman in love with a man who is incarerated, I was overwhelmed with joy and tears to read her story. So many of us can not share our feelings with our family and friends. This book is powerful and effecting.
Rating:
Summary: A revealing, poetic, honest love story...
Review: This book is one of the most emotionally raw, revealing, honestly felt love stories I have read. While some of the reviewers have said that the book had no "meat" or actual story, I would have to disagree and also point out that this book is a memoir and is written as such. It's very personal and while the story may not flow as a typical autobiography or a novel, it is honest and heartfelt and meaningful. I for one was glued to every page.
Rating:
Summary: If you've ever loved someone & not sure why, read the book.
Review: I am in the same situation and my husband's parole was recently set off. I can honestly say that for the first time I know that someone else knows how I feel and why I feel this way. I love my husband and we have been through some of the same issues as Asha and it feels good to know I am not alone. I just happened to walk into the bookstore and there it was, and I could not put it down once I started it. If you are involved or becoming involved in a prison relationship, it is in your best interest to read the book to get a realistic view on what you are in getting yourself into.
Rating:
Summary: this is a book for anyone who believes in love
Review: I loved this book and disagree with the couple of people who felt that Asha Bandele didn't reveal the details of her life enough. If it was anymore revealing, I would have felt like a complete peeping Tom! Bandele, through her beuatiful poetic writing shows us how she and Rashid could have fallen in love, how they changed becuase of that love and most importantly she shows us how we can all be changed by love. This book is a must read for all the cynics and hate mongers out there.
Rating:
Summary: the author is a gifted storyteller
Review: In order to share a story of this depth takes an ocean of courage. The emotions were so raw I felt like I was a part of the relationship. This will make people believe in love again. I'm an avid reader and I've never had a memoir move me like this one has. This was a true love story. The character developement and writing style were the best I've seen in 10 years. This book will make you drop everything, and just FEEL! Ms Bandele weaves a very personal tale with truth, clarity and grace.
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