I'm honestly not sure what drew me to this book, as I wasn't previously familiar with Monica Wood. However, I'm so thankful that I found it!
This beautiful story reminded me why I love reading so much, and why it's so important to share books with others.
No matter who you are, where you are in life, or what you like to read, if you only ever take me up on one book recommendation, I pray that it's this one.
“I am a reader. I am intelligent. I have something worthy to contribute.”
This is the mantra that begins each meeting of Prison Book Club, where Harriet Larson leads a group of twelve incarcerated women in weekly discussions about books. She teaches them not only to read the story, but to look at the underlying layers, the meanwhile, and to view the characters as fellow creatures, no matter how infuriating they may be.
For these women, Book Club is an escape from the monotony of prison life. It gives them a voice in a world uninterested in hearing their stories. It gives them power, and most importantly, it gives them hope.
Even if they give Harriet, known more affectionately as Bookie, a hard time for her book choices, these two hours in Book Club each Friday are the highlight of their week.
Aside from books, they discuss their Before, they talk about the things they miss most on the Outs, and they play endless rounds of When I Get Out First Thing I Do—but one thing they never discuss are their Reasons. Harriet doesn't know, and she prefers it that way.
Among this group of women is twenty-two year old Violet Powell, dutifully serving her time after a drunk driving accident that took the life of a local woman.
Lorraine Daigle, a beloved wife, mother, and kindergarten teacher, is Violet's Reason, and it will haunt her every day of her life.
"People set their husbands afire, they nurse their dying mothers, they rob demented old men, they sing songs that bring listeners to tears, they kill a woman while drunk on love and 86-proof. The line between this and that, you and her, us and them, the line is thin."
After his wife's death, Frank Daigle began the habit of daily walks around Portland, Maine. This eventually leads him to Wadsworth books, where the scent of books and the sound of pages turning transport him back to his childhood.
Before he knows it, Frank is on a first-name basis with all the Wadsworth staff, and despite being retired, the machinist in him can't help but notice the things around the shop that need repair. After bringing these things to the store manager's attention, Frank finds himself hired as the official bookstore handyman.
As fate would have it, Wadsworth is where Harriet shops for her Book Club supplies each week.
Meanwhile, Violet has been released early for good behavior. After being disowned from what remains of her family, Violet finds herself abandoned in Portland and learning to navigate her new life on the Outs—very much alone.
Like a beacon of hope, she stumbles upon Wadsworth Books and ventures inside, hoping to purchase the book they had been working on in Book Club before her release.
Instead, she finds herself face to face with Harriet and the husband of the woman she killed.
"We are a continuum of human experience, neither the worst nor the best thing we have ever done. Or, more exactly, we are both the best thing and the worst thing we've ever done. We are all of it, all at once, all the time."
If you're hoping for a confrontation and a violent reaction from Frank, then you're about to find yourself very disappointed—and that's exactly what makes this story so incredible.
As Frank works toward healing and Harriet takes Violet under her wing, you'll find yourself rooting for Violet's future despite the mistakes of her past.
You'll realize that we all have our Reasons, our things that we're ashamed of whether incarcerated or not, and that the line between the two truly is thin.
You may even find yourself questioning your perspective on forgiveness, love, and the true meaning of life.
"Apologies require acceptance...But as I understand it, forgiveness flows in one direction only."
While the characters and this particular Book Club are fictional, prison libraries are a very real thing that can change the lives and futures of incarcerated individuals all over the world—but they need help.
The American Library Association has a list of great literary resources dedicated to helping the incarcerated as well as those recently released. If Violet or any of the other women in Book Club resonated with you, I strongly suggest making a small donation or finding a way to get involved.
More than anything, I hope this story inspires you to live with a little more grace, a lot more love, and an open mind, as well as a love of books and the power they have to bring even the most unlikely groups of people together. I hope it inspires you to give someone a second chance, even if that someone is you.
"Even the least eventful life holds an avalanche of stories. Any one of mine would give you a fair impression of who I was and how I lived. But the one I chose—the one that now composes this epitaph—isn't a story at all. It's what Harriet would call the meanwhile, the important thing that was happening while the rest of the story moved along."
Honestly, I could ramble about this book all day because I just loved it so much. So, be sure to join me on Discord if you'd like to discuss How to Read a Book or any others! I've built a small community of readers that continue to inspire me on a daily basis, and I'd be thrilled to have you be part of it.
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Lastly, thank you so much for reading—not just reading the blog, but for being a reader. The world needs us now more than ever.
'•.¸♡ Until next time! ♡¸.•'
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