My Soul Said to Me : An Unlikely Journey Behind the Walls of Justice

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Summary: An inspiring journey for all to take
Review: A moving account of one man's search for a path to truth, a path by the following of which society as a whole can benefit. While this book is subtitled: An Unlikely Journey Behind the Walls of Justice, it is so much wider in its applicability than to the insitutions wherein it was born. In his exploration of 'community building', Mr. Roberts has written a remarkable prescription for society as a whole to adopt and apply to heal the profound wounds caused by the segregation of its members into disparate islands of fear, hurt, and hate. As for the application of this process to both the incarcerated and returned prison population itself, truly remarkable results have resulted from so doing. Mr. Roberts has addressed a core concern: "Without proper support, however, transformation is a long hard road. Because most of (the incarerated) are unprepared, most of them fail [become recidivists upon being paroled or pardoned]." Robert's combination of community building and techniques developed from his insights into the human social condition garnered while studying prisoners directly should be seriously examined by all states concernd with reformation of those who offend its rules. The results from so doing offer a path to real freedom, the transformation of a person rather than the brutalizing perpetuation of antisocial behavior consequent from incarceration as it is currently administered. Finally, this is a remarkable and inspiring read.

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Summary: Building Community and Courage: The Triumph of Bob Roberts
Review: Bob Roberts enjoyed a financially comfortable career as a dentist in Shreveport, Louisiana, but the fact that he was simultaneously working as a stunt pilot in his spare time seemed to indicate a craving for challenge his settled life wasn't satisfying. Flying a lawyer friend to the Lousiana State Penitentiary at Angola, Roberts saw first-hand the human degradation and desperation existing in such places. He recalls:

"As I witnessed all of this, I began to conclude that I would never be able to survive this kind of treatment without reverting to some kind of preadolescent stage of helplessness and rage. I would have to allow everything I had ever become as a man to die, and I knew that before I would permit that, I would simply kill myself or, perhaps, someone else. . . . I returned home a changed person."

MY SOUL SAID TO ME is Roberts' amazing and inspiring first-person account of what it's like to seriously respond in mid-life to the promptings of what Lincoln would call our "better angels."

As a giant first step, Roberts decided to test psychologist M. Scott Peck's community building techniques with prisoners at Dixon Correctional Institute in Jackson, Louisiana, a population 89% African American. So begins Roberts' "long descent into community," picking up along the way such powerful allies as poet Robert Bly, Doors drummer John Densmore, and African healer Malidoma Somé. Roberts' odyssey builds to a peak in the creation of Project Return, an organization dedicated to integrating ex-prisoners back into society and keeping them from returning to crime. So far, Roberts's story has a happy ending-Project Return boasts a success rate so impressive that even conservative politicians in Lousiana have enthusiastically embraced it as an alternative to far more socially and economically costly crime and imprisonment.

Roberts' gracefully written book is an eye-opener in many ways. In a time of soaring incarceration rates and the privatization of prisons as a new growth industry, we see the landscape of justice and law enforcement differently after glimpsing through the "eye," so to speak, of Roberts' heart. Among other things, this book made me think that we are too fixated on punishment at the expense of the general well-being of our communities. Along with Olive Wendell Holmes, Roberts doesn't care much for the word "justice" as an abstraction. Holmes wrote: "The question is not what would be just to do to this dangerous fellow or that dishonest woman, but what will lead them to react more acceptably and will protect the environment in the meantime."

If understanding can reduce fear, MY SOUL SAID TO ME should help in making anyone who reads it less fearful of the often oppressed people who are driven by racism and poverty to adopt the criminal lifestyle. We can hope that it moves others to begin to answer with bold and courageous actions the callings of their own souls, as Bob Roberts has done so admirably and demonstrably with Project Return and this beautifully humane book.

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Summary: A Parole Officer's View
Review: Heartbreaking in its simplicity and insight, Dr. Robert's journey is one every tax-paying American should take. From his personal committment, establishment of Project Return which pushed his career in radically different directions, to his work with indiginous populations, Dr Roberts casts himself as very much the student. This is a position very few 'civilians' have experienced. I know. I'm a parole officer. This is must reading for professionals and citizens alike. You will finish this book as a changed person.

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Summary: sobering, inspiring, needed
Review: I met Bob Roberts at a conference he hosted a few years ago. This book is as compelling and fierce as I expected. In forsaking comfort to find his own soul, Bob also found a way to help society's outcasts -- prisoners -- discover their own dignity and humanity. These stories are the real thing: messy, poignant, energizing. So few people do this work; so many should know that it can, and is, successfully being done. Help yourself to hope by reading this book.

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Summary: Totally Biased
Review: I've known Bob for years and love him. This book is a great achievement and an easy and consistent read. It is a beautiful window on the human soul and the journey into meaning and purpose. It is an excellent guide for any person wanting to learn about the human condition and our natural desire to step into our greatness.

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Summary: To become a classic . . . .
Review: It's one of those books you will NOT be able to put down once you start. It's one of those books that will make you cry with sorrow AND cry with joy. It's one of those books that will inspire you to pursue your calling. It's one of those books that will make you question your "comfort zone". It's one of those books that expose the sadness and ignorance of our nation (both behind and in-front-of the walls). It's one of those books that will "effect dramatic change toward harmony in our culture" when/if we allow ourselves to be as compassionate, brave, and committed as Dr. Bob Roberts. IT'S A MUST READ!

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Summary: A MUST READ: Following a Dream, Making a Contribution
Review: MY SOUL SAID TO ME intimately engages you in the vision and mission of transforming the criminal justice system into a contributing and restorative justice power for good. Currently the system costs billions, destroys lives, and inflicts more pain than healing on everyone in United States. In his own life's journey, Bob Roberts shares "keys to open the doors" of the prison industrial complex in ways that can solidly change lives and communities in a pro-social, cost-efficient,and collaborative manner. The reader is captured by Robert's life and work and how he has impacted thousands of people to become contributing citizens. Clearly, the replication of his project could help tens of thousands of lives. It is said, "an educated consumer is our best customer." Today the American public is the consumer that needs educating. This book, if read by the masses, can shift the correctional industry into an evolutionary and restoring direction, as well as, personally impact the life of every reader. MY SOUL SAID TO ME is an inspiring journey of life, love, community, and commitment. I am recommending this book to everyone. People (offenders,staff,families) caught in the quicksand of the criminal justice system most often live in a culture without hope or "a way out." To paraphrase the book, could there be a greater vision or mission than to give hope to someone that he or she is still valued as a human being? Bob Roberts gives all of us, the hopeless and the hopeful, hope. Audre Londe's words best describe Robert's philosophy at every crossroad in his life: "When I dare to be powerful...to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid..." In Robert's story of life you will find the truth applies to all aspects of our life and to all people in our society, even those in unlikely places. I share his call for a return to community.

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Summary: Author Robert E. Roberts Gives Me Hope for The Human Race
Review: People like author Robert E. Roberts give me hope for the human race. "My Soul Said to Me" is an outstanding book that deserves widespread readership by all segments of society. I highly recommend it to anyone concerned about breaking the horrific cycle of violence that our current prison system perpetuates. It is well established that our prisons are training camps in degradation and corruption and that conventional solutions to crime and violence have failed on all fronts. Robert's personal account of his journey behind the walls of justice and his relationship with inmates demonstrates a bold step forward toward a more humane and enlightened prison system. Excellent companion reading to this book is "Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic" by James Gilligan, M.D., a prison psychiatrist for 25 years. I hope Oprah invites both these authors on her show and gives these books the exposure they deserve. --Suza Francina, Mayor, City of Ojai, California, author, "The New Yoga for People Over 50" and "Yoga and the Wisdom of Menopause."

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Summary: An Inspiring and Enjoyable True Story
Review: This book is fascinating. I read it in a weekend. It's the story of a man who transforms his life. Bob Roberts was a successful dentist in the New Orleans area who had a personal crisis prompt him to change. He gave up a wealthy lifestyle and ended up founding an organization called Project Return that helps ex-cons make the transition to a legitimate life in society. It seems most ex-cons end up committing further crime and returning to jail. The graduates of his program have a huge success rate at staying out of trouble.

The book gives some interesting insight into the "Drug War." One of its inadvertent results is that you have non-violent drug users arrested and sent to jail where they are so brutalized that when they are released, they sometimes turn violent, usually against someone more helpless than them -- a child victim perhaps.

However, this is not a grim book. It's a pleasure to read. There's a lot that is inspiring and hopeful. Parts are funny and triumphant. I really enjoyed it and endorse it wholeheartedly.

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Summary: Who is this man?
Review: Who is this man, Bob Roberts? He abandons one world, the plush world of a wealthy professional, and finds his spiritual path among the most forgotten and marginalized members of our society.

Unlike the prophet walking on water or the holier-than-thou guru, Roberts discovers a vital link to his own living soul through his relationship with these men. They become his most trusted friends, and in an unlikely show of solidarity they find their way toward the light.

Roberts' journey is a burr in our side, reminding us that America's shame-based and cold-hearted penal system is self-perpetuating and in dire need of rehabilitation itself.

The only way this book comes up short is on Roberts himself. Who is this incredibly dynamic and compassionate man? I want to know more!