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Summary: Captivating from the very first page!
Review: Wally Lamb is an amazing writer. I purchased this book with a gut feeling that it would be special, and I wasn't disappointed. The individual stories of the women were touching, well written, and at the risk of sounding corny, truly inspirational. It was enlightening, educational and made me a believer in what Bonnie Foreshaw says several times throughout her story, "We are human beings first, inmates second". A highly recommended read for anyone, and if you are a fan of Wally Lamb, it will do nothing more than reinforce and further your love of his work.
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Summary: Why I am angry that I bought ___Couldn't Keep It To Myself
Review: Wally Lamb is my very favorite author. I am anxiously awaiting publication of his next novel. Since it hasn't been finished, I bought"Couldn't Keep It To Myself" thinking it would be if not great, at least inspirational. I hated the book. (And I read most of it.) Thousands of people have very bad experiences in their lives but they are able to overcome them and do good things.Why the need to recognize people who committed crimes? For me this book was no different from VH1's "Music Behind Bars." Unless you have a soft spot for criminals, don't buy this book.
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Summary: Restoring the Voices
Review: Wally Lamb said, "...to imprison a woman is to remove her voice from the world...." That statement could be turned around. To remove a woman's voice from the world can also imprison her. It is with the help of people like Lamb that women have found their voices, and enhanced their concept of self. Having also produced a book that helped women find their voices, and tell their stories, I speak from experience. It is an arduous, delicate process, yet Lamb's deft touch and sensitivity are present on every page. The clarity and objectivity of the writing demands neither pity nor praise from the reader. An engaging and thought provoking book. Good for you, Wally.
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Summary: Leg of Lamb
Review: Wally Lamb's book, COULDN'T KEEP IT TO MYSELF, is just one leg of the journey in his never-ending cascade of colorful and probing books. His workshop at York Correctional Facility for Women inspired eleven inmates to commit their memories of childhood to paper. Journeys of trauma are nothing new (think of the memoir SICKENED or the fiction/memoir BARK OF THE DOGWOOD) but what Lamb has achieved here is a healing process for these women, and at the same time given us a remarkable gift. The collection rings true and it reads both on an entertainment level, and on a level of human enlightenment, both for us and the women who were involved. Very original and brave.Also would recommend "A Child Called It" and "The Bark of the Dogwood."
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Summary: This book will stay with you forever
Review: Wally Lamb, who wrote the best book I've ever read (I Know This Much Is True), has been teaching writing in a women's prison for several years. 11 of his students contributed autobiographical essays to this amazing book. The stories are not self-pitying; they are thoughtful reflections on real American lives. This book will stay with you forever. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Brilliant
Review: What else could you expect by a book that was edited by the great Wally Lamb! An insightful and eye opening look at real life situations of "every day" women. I found myself laughing at the introduction written by Wally and crying through most of the book for the women who wrote it.
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