What our authors are saying
“When people come in and meet those inmates and show them some love, some attention, some interest, some conversation share some hours with them, converse and talk about things that are important to them, allow them to live in their minds and escape the walls of their imprisonment, it’s incredibly uplifting to them.”
Lawrence Hill, author of The Book of Negroes
“Reading helps us imagine a better world. It introduces us to a world of ideas: a world of possibilities.”
Stephen Reid, author of A Crowbar in the Buddhist Garden and Jackrabbit Parole
“BCFI gives inmates hope in the form of the written word, which carries the human experience and connects us to each other. Books remind us that our stories matter and that the world is not black and white. I'm grateful to the amazing volunteers and organizers of BCFI for giving me an invaluable opportunity.”
Marina Nemat, author of Prisoner of Tehran
“I have had the opportunity to work with inmates at various facilities over the course of my career. Together, we’ve done writing workshops, and I have discussed literature with them, both my books and books from other authors that have served to enrich, inspire, and transform their lives. There’s nothing more powerful than a good story; it brings people together and builds community. Book Clubs for Inmates Inc. is an important program that should be supported to continue to provide transformative experiences to people who have been incarcerated.”
David A. Robertson, author of Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory
“This year, I had the opportunity to meet some Book Clubs for Inmates alumni. I’ve heard direct accounts of the organization’s extensive support and of the confidence and critical skills inmates gain through their interactions at book club. It sounds contradictory to think of imprisonment as a potentially broadening and enlightening experience, but this is what some former inmates conveyed to me. As a writer, it’s gratifying to be reminded of the positive force books can have in someone’s life. I’m proud to call myself a supporter of BCFI—an organization that champions both literature and meaningful rehabilitation.”
John Irving, author of The Cider House Rules
"Books help make connections between people. They can change perspectives, provide education, and open minds. Everyone should have access to them. Book Clubs for Inmates is providing a vital service."
Claire Cameron, author of The Bear: A Novel
“Books are doors that lead to other worlds, and to other places in the world. They are time-travel ships that take us to the past and into the future, mind-readers that let us think the thoughts of others. They are the closest we can come to being in another body, and to feeling the emotions of those who seem to be unlike us. Some of the greatest literature has been written by those who have been imprisoned.
As for me, I've set two of my novels in prisons: Alias Grace, in the nineteenth century Kingston Penitentiary; and Hag-Seed, in which a cast of prison actors re-creates Shakespeare's The Tempest: a play in which every single one of the characters is imprisoned in some way, at some time in the play. We understand freedom only when it is taken away.”
Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale