Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Prison Noir by Joyce Carol Oates - Available

Prison Noir

by Joyce Carol Oates
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Read a sample Read a sample
1 of 1 copy available
“A sobering experience . . . The power of this collection comes from the voices of these authors, voices suffused with rage, despair, and madness.” —The New York Times Book Review
 
This anthology, with stories set in different prisons across the US, presents an absolutely new perspective on prison literature. From a killer’s confession to a desire for redemption, from stories of new cell mates to prison snitches, this collection of tales runs the gamut of emotions, settings, and voices. Readers are drawn into an unknown world and left with feelings of horror, compassion, and even understanding.
 
Edited by renowned author Joyce Carol Oates, who has led various writing workshops in correctional institutions across America, Prison Noir features stories by Christopher M. Stephen, Sin Soracco, Scott Gutches, Eric Boyd, Ali F. Sareini, Stephen Geez, B.M. Dolarman, Zeke Caligiuri, Marco Verdoni, Kenneth R. Brydon, Linda Michelle Marquardt, Andre White, Timothy Pauley, Bryan K. Palmer, and William Van Poyck.
 
“These are stories that resonate with authenticity and verve and pain and truth. Any collection edited by the National Book Award–winning author Oates deserves attention, but the contributors are deft and confident, and great writers without her imprimatur . . . Authentic, powerful, visceral, moving, great writing.” —Library Journal
 
“All the stories, set within jailhouse walls, explore anguish, lunacy, and sometimes, a desire for redemption. Others offer an unsettling and unvarnished look at life in the clink . . . Perhaps most importantly, the book gives inmates a voice: their own.” —Fine Books & Collections

  • Creators

  • Series

    Akashic Noir

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 11, 2014

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

      • ISBN: 9781617753312

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781617753312

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781617753312
      • File size: 1701 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from July 7, 2014
      For Akashic’s celebrated noir series, Oates, a veteran instructor in prison writing programs, has assembled a remarkable anthology of stories written by inmates of correctional institutions across America. Standouts include Christopher M. Stephen’s “Shuffle,” in which a tormented older convict must confront an enigmatic new cellmate, and Linda Michelle Marquardt’s deeply unsettling “Milk and Tea,” about a survivor of horrific domestic violence who finally snapped and killed her sadistic husband. In Stephen Geez’s heartbreaking “Tune-Up,” violence cuts short the collaboration of a group of incarcerated musicians. Andre White’s “Angel Eyes” is a tour de force about a compassionate elderly convict who witnesses the dehumanization of a young inmate. The 15 selections display a wide variety of literary styles and approaches, but, as Oates suggests in her introduction, they beckon the reader to identify with the perpetrators. Most importantly, this landmark volume amplifies the voices of the incarcerated.

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from August 1, 2014

      This tremendous collection makes "civilian" crime fiction writers (like myself) seem anemic in comparison. These are stories that resonate with authenticity and verve and pain and truth. Any collection edited by the National Book Award-winning author Oates (them; Blonde, Rape: A Love Story) deserves attention, but the contributors are deft and confident, and great writers without her imprimatur. Many of the authors served or are serving long sentences for murder, bank robbery, assault, etc. William Van Poyck ("The Investigation") was executed in 2013. Andre White's stunning "Angel Eyes" proves that the pen is mightier than the sword in more ways than one. Jail suicide and pitiless partner abuse are the focus of the fine "Milk and Tea" by Linda Michelle Marquardt. The great writing in "Rat's Ass" by Kenneth R. Brydon makes the reader squirm. Marco Verdoni's "Immigrant Song" is moving and lyrical, and Ali F. Sareni's powerful "A Message in the Breadth of Allah " stuck with this reader long afterwards. I liked every story. VERDICT Kudos to Johnny Temple and the Akashic team for another milestone in the Noir series (83 and counting). There is need for Prison Noir II. Authentic, powerful, visceral, moving, great writing.--Seamus Scanlon, Ctr. for Worker Education, CUNY

      Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading