Memoir: Delaware County Prison

Rating:
Summary: Still hunger
Review: I am not sure how I came about this book. I believe I requested one book to review and somehow was given this one and another. Considering it was offered to me I felt compelled to read it and write a review.

I found Mr. Hall's debut to be quite interesting, but a slow story that never landed. While reading it I kept thinking something is going to happen but it never did. I am not sure what the authors attempt was. Maybe a memoir was not the way to go, possibly fiction?

I guess I expected something like this show on HBO called "Prisoner Cell Block H" gritty raw and ACTION PACKED. Memoir had no luster it lacked history and reasoning. I hope the authors next attempt "Smoking Cigarettes" has a much better story line.

Rating:
Summary: MEMOIRS?
Review: i brought memoirs two days after i heard reginald hall on power 99 in philadelphia. I wanted to know first hand what actually goes down in jail..a few people i know that have done time just come out and say "oh it was cool" or they don't say anything. i know for a fact that if someone was locked down for a nice minute they probaly have did some freaky stuff in jail. i know of dudes that came home with aids..the book was amusing but he could have went a lil' deeper into actual events that happened. i would recommend it though

Rating:
Summary: MEMOIRS?
Review: i brought memoirs two days after i heard reginald hall on power 99 in philadelphia. I wanted to know first hand what actually goes down in jail..a few people i know that have done time just come out and say "oh it was cool" or they don't say anything. i know for a fact that if someone was locked down for a nice minute they probaly have did some freaky stuff in jail. i know of dudes that came home with aids..the book was amusing but he could have went a lil' deeper into actual events that happened. i would recommend it though

Rating:
Summary: wish it had a little more-but killer nontheless
Review: i had the chance to meet the author in one of the most unusual circumstances & found him to be a really nice guy. he gave me a copy of this book & when i started to read it, i couldn't put it down. how he speaks of the prison system & how they work things in there is right on point. the beatings, the unfair treatment because of color & sexual preference, and the lack of cooperation from the people who were suppose to be helping him made me want to cry for this guy. having had first hand experience with the prisoners & the prison itself, i felt kind of bad for the author. i don't care what he did to get in there (robbery maybe?), it doesn't make it right for him to be treated that way & besides, there are straight, white, rich men who do much worse & get much less time & punishment. the system sucks.
it was strange to see names that i recognized in the book as well as old friends. i just wish he would have wrote more about how he got in there & why he had the detainers. i'm hoping a second book comes out explaining what happened to him after he left the prison & how his life changed because of it. "Memoir" is not bad for a first book.

Rating:
Summary: wish it had a little more-but killer nontheless
Review: i had the chance to meet the author in one of the most unusual circumstances & found him to be a really nice guy. he gave me a copy of this book & when i started to read it, i couldn't put it down. how he speaks of the prison system & how they work things in there is right on point. the beatings, the unfair treatment because of color & sexual preference, and the lack of cooperation from the people who were suppose to be helping him made me want to cry for this guy. having had first hand experience with the prisoners & the prison itself, i felt kind of bad for the author. i don't care what he did to get in there (robbery maybe?), it doesn't make it right for him to be treated that way & besides, there are straight, white, rich men who do much worse & get much less time & punishment. the system sucks.
it was strange to see names that i recognized in the book as well as old friends. i just wish he would have wrote more about how he got in there & why he had the detainers. i'm hoping a second book comes out explaining what happened to him after he left the prison & how his life changed because of it. "Memoir" is not bad for a first book.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: I heard Reginald on the radio and I ran right to get his book and I was very disappointed with the book because he really didn't go into detail about what really happened while he was in Delaware County Prison. Because he is not really telling what went on in the prison as far as him talking about straight men that he turned out.

Rating:
Summary: Incarcerated
Review: In MEMOIR: DELAWARE COUNTY PRISON, author Reginald Hall painstakingly chronicles his sojourn as a prison inmate. Using a very clear, simple and precise writing style, Hall essentially unveils a story filled with all the nuances, innuendoes and uncertainties of prison life. More importantly, MEMOIR: DELAWARE COUNTY PRISON gives insight into the indignities suffered by an eighteen year old, who also happens to be gay, in an environment where machismo is the dominant culture.

Hall's unobtrusive writing style adds an edge to the story, but this is blurred by his introduction of characters that are often superficial or one dimensional. The story never quite reaches its true potential and often the reader is left with the sense that there are exciting and at times dangerous possibilities lurking beneath the author's straightforward prose, which are never fully realized.

MEMOIR: DELAWARE COUNTY PRISON is a valiant first effort for noted gay rights advocate Reginald Hall. He manages to capture the readers attention with the possibilities the title seems to offer, and it does have its bright moments. The story, however, would benefit from more attention to detail especially in the area of character development.

Reviewed by Autumn
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers


Rating:
Summary: Title To Be Revised
Review: Memoir: Delaware County Prison chronicles the months Reginald (a.k.a. Reg) has to spend in the prison for committing credit card fraud. The author doesn't give detail of the offense and I'd assume there was a prior offense because he was already on probation and a "detainer" by the probation office is the main reason he's confined for eight months, as opposed to a couple of days. I'm confused. So the question is: What was he on probation for? Was it for committing credit card fraud or something else?

The memoir starts with his initial intake, goes through his perils of being gay and in prison and ends at outtake. Hall speaks of the incidents he was subjected to just for being gay (i.e., attempted rape, gay bashing, and assault). He also brings to light another interesting subject that seems to plague Black men - homosexual behavior while inmates. There were a few instances where Reg noted he had "crushes" on a few "straight" men and one ultimately led to a sexual encounter. However, the person he had the encounter with emphasized that he didn't "go that way" yet he went there with Reg. How scary is that?

Memoir: Delaware County Prison reads like he has jotted down his memory of the incidents but without much detail. It misses the most important element - a plot. To have been written by a teenager, expressing his horrible time in prison, it's cute. The synopsis makes the book seem interesting; however, none of the subjects were touched upon. Had he given detail on his attempting suicide, taking drugs, engaging in other self-destructive behavior, along with "why" he was in prison it would have made for a more interesting read. But for now it's just - cute.

Reviewed by Esther "Ess" Mays for Loose Leaves Book Review

Rating:
Summary: An Emotional Rollercoaster
Review: This book is a rollercoaster for a laughs and cries. I recommend this book to women and men.