Title: Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man’s Prison
Author: T.J. Parsell
First published October 11, 2006
324 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780786717934 (ISBN10: 0786717939)
Rating: 3.92
Overview
Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man’s Prison by T.J. Parsell is a heart-wrenching tale of a teenager who made a mistake and ended up paying for it with his freedom. He was thrown into a prison where he was subjected to an unspeakable act of violence on his very first night.
The trauma of that night never left him, and he was forced to keep it a secret because of the prisoners’ code of silence. T.J. Parsell, a leading advocate for prison reform, shares his story and sheds light on the issue of prisoner rape, an issue that is often ignored by society.
Fish is a powerful and honest memoir that gives a voice to countless prisoners who have suffered in silence. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the realities of life behind bars.
Editoral Review
Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man’s Prison by T.J. Parsell is an eye-opening and deeply personal account of the author’s experiences as a young inmate in a maximum-security prison. Parsell’s memoir is a powerful condemnation of the American criminal justice system, which all too often fails to rehabilitate its prisoners, instead subjecting them to horrific and dehumanizing conditions.
Parsell’s writing is raw and unflinching, as he describes the brutal violence, sexual abuse, and psychological torment he endured during his time in prison. He acknowledges the mistakes he made as a young man that led him to be incarcerated but emphasizes that no one deserves to be treated as he was.
The memoir is structured as a series of vignettes, each focusing on a particular moment or encounter in Parsell’s life behind bars. But while the individual stories are harrowing, it is the cumulative effect of them that is most powerful.
We see how Parsell and his fellow inmates are stripped of their humanity, reduced to mere objects to be exploited and abused by the prison system and its staff. One of the strengths of Fish is Parsell’s ability to reflect on his experiences with intelligence and insight.
He is able to see his own complicity in the system that failed him, as well as the broader societal issues that contribute to the mass incarceration of poor and marginalized populations. Fish is a book that is more relevant than ever.
As conversations around criminal justice reform continue to gain momentum, Parsell’s memoir serves as a sobering reminder of the human cost of our current system. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of the American prison industrial complex.
However, the book is not perfect. At times, it can be difficult to read, as Parsell’s descriptions of the violence and abuse he witnessed and experienced are graphic and disturbing.
Additionally, the structure of the memoir, while effective in some ways, can be disjointed, making it difficult to follow the narrative thread. Overall, Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man’s Prison is a powerful and important book.
Despite its flaws, it is well written, thoughtful, and deeply moving. It is a book that will stick with readers long after they turn the final page.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. While it is not a perfect book, Fish is an important work of nonfiction that should be read by anyone with an interest in criminal justice reform.
