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Summary: Until Now, I Never Enjoyed Any Book My Husband Liked
Review: I would see him reading, late at night, sometimes laughing, sometimes just shaking his head. So when my husband finished "You Got Nothing Coming" I picked it up and started reading. And couldn't stop. This book, on the surface, seems to be about an educated professional man trying to adapt to a new prison environment. Below the obvious, there is so much going on and it's funny and tragic and frightening and, above all, absolutely spell-binding. After reading the book I went in search of other Jimmy Lerner books and so far this is his only one, but I just read that one of my favorite movie directors, Phil Kaufman, will be doing a film based on this book (with Ben Stiller--perfect choice!--starring) and I can't wait! If the movie is one-half as gripping and entertaining as the book I will be at the theater a lot, even if my husband can't make it!
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Summary: What a surprise
Review: Jimmy Learner has created a captivating and inspiring account that deserves much more than to be tucked on the bottom shelf in the Law section at B&N. A triumph that will (hopefully) inspire the author (and the reader) to a better appreciation for how quickly we can change our lives.
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Summary: Awesome
Review: Jimmy Lerner is a genius writer. His wit and wisdom in the face of very trying circumstances is unparalled. I loved this book, despite so much filthy language (which by way of subject, could not be avoided) this book was an awesome read. I stumbled upon it here at Amazon and I am so glad I read this book.
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Summary: We Are Definitely Not In Kansas Anymore!
Review: Jimmy Lerner takes us on journey to a dark place beyond the imaginations of most of us. This true account of prison is nothing like what we see in the movies, read in books, or even watch the HBO show, OZ. It is infinitely worse. Gangs, Nazis, teenaged crank addicts that kill their families, relentlessly sadistic guards, and, for comic relief, charaters like Scud, who have a talent for propelling a snot missiles from their nose into the chow hall soup cannister. The author pulls us into his tiny cell with him, this 8 x 6 concrete and steel box that he is forced to share with Kansas, the Nazi skinhead gang leader. Kansas can't read his neo-Nazi literature because he is illiterate. No problem. Mr. Lerner, a former Corporate executive and a Jew (which he wisely keeps to himself) reads it to him. And even explains it. Lerner even manages to win the confidence and friendship of this maniac and this makes for a fascinating and hilarious sub-plot. The satirical accounts of our 12-Step culture and his skewering of Alcoholics Anonymous are both politically incorrect and delightfully accurate. I only hope the author survives to provide us with a sequel!! This is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read!!
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Summary: So real you can hear the cell door clang shut behind you.
Review: Jimmy Lerner's book is one of the funniest ever written about prison. It's true genius, though, is its structure, a narratave that pulls you into the anxious paranoia of early prison life, then loops around to describe the sad chain of misjudgments, alcoholism, greed, anger and hilarious stupidity that landed the author behind bars.
Lerner's descriptive skills blow the reader away. In all the best books, the writer writes so well that you forget you're reading, and I can think of few better examples than this fine story. The prisons leap into your mind, fully envisioned, terrifying, fascinating. Characters, too, are drawn so well you feel that you know them, that you could converse like old friends if you ended up being so unfortunate as to share a cell with them. Even the details of his previous life as a middle manager for one of the "Baby Bell" phone companies feel wonderfully true and accurate. His descriptions of myriad Alcoholics Anonymous sessions give the reader a compelling and critical look at that organization, its strengths, and its weaknesses; also, veterans of the telecom industry will knowingly nod at the people and situations he describes from life before The Fall.
My only quibble is that I'd like to know as much about his exit from prison as I know about his entrance--the former transition is one that society frequently fails to understand or deal with, even though it is a frequent consequence of the latter one.
Too few people truly understand the dark underbellies of American life, or care to look at why some people lead successful lives while others fall through the cracks. Lerner's book shows you the consequences of such ignorance, though; his "everyman" story shows you that this could happen to a neighbor, a friend, a family member--or you.
Check it out, dawg!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Let a Murderer Profit
Review: Lerner's book is outrageous in many ways--hilarious, scary, honest, and bit unbelieveable (sort of the way Tim O'Brien talks about how you can never tell a "true" war story). Lerner, a Jewish MBA who suddenly finds himself in prison (according to his version of events, a sentence he probably did not deserve, but that is up to the reader) for a manslaughter charge. The book is filled with colorful characters with surprising humanity. Lerner is no saint and he knows it. An alcoholic who makes astonishingly bad choices, he cops to his mistakes. His stories and details about prison life are remarkable. Not surprisingly there is a sadistic guard and heroic prisoners...but Lerners sees them for who they are and finds his salvation in a powerful and raucuous closing. He also has savage things to say about corporate culture (his cubicle neighbor, Scott Adams of Dilbert fame, might agree) and the comparisons to prison are, while not original, still eye opening. The structure of the book is a bit odd--the details of his crime are left to the end--but it all manages to work. Thanks, Dawg.
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Summary: An extraordinary tour of a world I hope I never have to see.
Review: Lerner's book is outrageous in many ways--hilarious, scary, honest, and bit unbelieveable (sort of the way Tim O'Brien talks about how you can never tell a "true" war story). Lerner, a Jewish MBA who suddenly finds himself in prison (according to his version of events, a sentence he probably did not deserve, but that is up to the reader) for a manslaughter charge. The book is filled with colorful characters with surprising humanity. Lerner is no saint and he knows it. An alcoholic who makes astonishingly bad choices, he cops to his mistakes. His stories and details about prison life are remarkable. Not surprisingly there is a sadistic guard and heroic prisoners...but Lerners sees them for who they are and finds his salvation in a powerful and raucuous closing. He also has savage things to say about corporate culture (his cubicle neighbor, Scott Adams of Dilbert fame, might agree) and the comparisons to prison are, while not original, still eye opening. The structure of the book is a bit odd--the details of his crime are left to the end--but it all manages to work. Thanks, Dawg.
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Summary: Side-Splittingly Funny; One of My Favorite Books Ever
Review: Now, I'll admit, you must have a dark sense of humor and a well-developed sense of the absurd to 'get' this book. That being said, if that describes you, you've got something coming. Jimmy Lerner's memoir of time in a Nevada prison is both horrifying and achingly funny. For anyone shocked by the recent abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib, one need only read this book to get a close-up look at how our own American citizens are treated in the Big House. Lerner's twenty-odd years spent in corporate cube farms gave him some valuable tools for negotiating his way through the Pen, and his stories of how he manages to avoid one potential 'health crisis' after another with corporatespeak and motivational jargon is tearfully funny. Perhaps after reading this, you too will know how to duck 'n cover when the S**t Jumps Off. Even though Lerner has some moral weaknesses and isn't perfect, you can't help but root for this middle-class, Jewish, corporate middle-man who ends up sharing a cell with a Nazi sociopath. Lerner was lucky to get out alive, and when you read this book, you'll be glad he did. (WARNING: Spoiler!) In regards to the reviewer who wrote 'don't let this murderer profit', what would you do if a psycopath had not only threatened to kill you but assault your children? The corpse in this true tale defintely Had Something Coming.
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Summary: Eye opener
Review: Really good book. If you are thinking about doing something illegal, and you arent really of that criminal "breed," you should read this book in advance so you know what you can expect if you get caught. This book gives a clear picture of the treatment you will receive, as well as your new "friends."
Funny too. I've read it 3 times over.
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Summary: Monster or Midget? Who Cares - A Fantastic Book!!!!
Review: So The New York Times thinks it newsworthy that the author, Jimmy Lerner, changed some incidents and descriptions to tell a great story. And this is a fascinating and beautifully written book. We know this much is true: The author was just an average middle-class corporate drone who spent 3 years in a Nevada prison trying to get along with skinheads, his Nazi cellmate, black, Mexican and white supremacist gangs and at the same time trying to get his laundry done by paying tobacco and stamps for the service!!! The humor throughout the book is a continual surprise and delight and the author's ear for convict speech is pitch-perfect. The author is open and painfully honest about his lifelong struggle with drugs and alcohol. He does not try to portray himself as model citizen but rather as a flawed human being with his share of personal problems - in other words, like the rest of us. I urge anyone who is looking for a great read, an unforgettable story, to buy this book!!
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