angelofthe0dd's review against another edition
4.0
It's an eye-opening book for sure. The stories reflect how solitude can really mess with your mind after a very short while. Some of the common themes in the book: temporary insanity, self-harm, lashing out, insomnia, hallucinating, mental breakdowns, etc. After reading this book, I can see where solitary confinement should not be used as a standard form of incarceration.
mrskinnunen's review
4.0
From the outside, you may think, “Why in the hell would you want to read something like that?” Ever since reading Just Mercy & The Sun Does Shine, I’ve been fascinated by the workings of the US prison system & the effects of its corruption.
These are the words written by death row prisoners, yes - murderers & the worst of the worst. But that’s not the point. They are also the words of human beings. The mere existence of “SED” (aka solitary confinement) is what’s being questioned here, as well as the arguably minor offenses that land you there in the first place.
What I did not know before reading this book is not just the large population currently “living” in SEDs, but the horrifying fact that so many of them have been there for YEARS. It’s absolutely disgusting. I wish there was incentive for someone smart & rich & compassionate to clean up our prison system.
These are the words written by death row prisoners, yes - murderers & the worst of the worst. But that’s not the point. They are also the words of human beings. The mere existence of “SED” (aka solitary confinement) is what’s being questioned here, as well as the arguably minor offenses that land you there in the first place.
What I did not know before reading this book is not just the large population currently “living” in SEDs, but the horrifying fact that so many of them have been there for YEARS. It’s absolutely disgusting. I wish there was incentive for someone smart & rich & compassionate to clean up our prison system.
mountainzombie's review
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
One of the most important books you can read. It radicalized me to something I only passively thought I understood. After reading this book and starting conversations with friends and family’s about when solitary confinement is “necessary” I’ve been horrified to find that the views of the public reflects our terrible reality.
The idea that there is any crime that justifies a half-life, a perpetual dying until the body gives out is cruel beyond belief. We need to put an end to all forms of solitary regardless of crime. The public lives in a blissful ignorance that only those who “deserve” it are put in a box 23 hours a day. No one deserves it, and the ones that are arrive from various paths that inarguably should not lead them to the worst form of torture still utilized in our justice system today.
Read this. Take what you’ve learned and share it with others. It’s only through education, empathy, and awareness that we can begin dismantling our cruel justice system.
The idea that there is any crime that justifies a half-life, a perpetual dying until the body gives out is cruel beyond belief. We need to put an end to all forms of solitary regardless of crime. The public lives in a blissful ignorance that only those who “deserve” it are put in a box 23 hours a day. No one deserves it, and the ones that are arrive from various paths that inarguably should not lead them to the worst form of torture still utilized in our justice system today.
Read this. Take what you’ve learned and share it with others. It’s only through education, empathy, and awareness that we can begin dismantling our cruel justice system.
narodnokolo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.5
ifoundtheme's review
4.0
“Hell Is a Very Small Place” is a collection of essays about solitary confinement, primarily written by prisoners... Read More
rstochl's review
5.0
This collection of horrific stories from men and women alike who have been kept in solitary confinement will open your eyes to this unseen injustice in the United States today. But these stories don't just make you cringe and possibly cry, they show you there is still a way to make a change, and that there are people inside the system fighting to make a difference. This book humanizes those that have been deemed less than by the courts and by society at large. It may also make you question your own ideas of punishment and wonder, does anyone really deserve this?
dannafs's review against another edition
4.0
“There are better ways to manage a prison than crushing inmates, treating them worse than animals, and driving them insane and then releasing them back into society.”
“More difficult to calculate are the human costs not only to those who suffer in solitary, but to the rest of us in free society. ‘What does it mean,’ Lisa Guenther asks in this volume, ‘to share the world with millions of people in cages?’ How does it affect our humanity to dehumanize others to such an extent that we allow them to live in conditions unfit for any animal—and do so in the name of our own safety and well-being?”
“More difficult to calculate are the human costs not only to those who suffer in solitary, but to the rest of us in free society. ‘What does it mean,’ Lisa Guenther asks in this volume, ‘to share the world with millions of people in cages?’ How does it affect our humanity to dehumanize others to such an extent that we allow them to live in conditions unfit for any animal—and do so in the name of our own safety and well-being?”