Disguised As A Poem: My Years Teaching at San Quentin
by Judith Tannenbaum

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Book Reviews of Disguised As A Poem: My Years Teaching at San Quentin

Book Review: Poetry frees
Summary: 5 Stars

Needless to say, the experience changed more than a few lives.

Most of the men found themselves in San Quentin for their involvement in violent crime. During "lockup," in their cells, the men must restrain their emotions, their dreams, their expression of humanity for fear of exposing weakness in the violent environment in which they live. Poetry offers the men a chance to reach out beyond the walls of San Quentin. Through Tannenbaum and the other arts' teachers, the men meet Nobel Prize winners, perform "Waiting for Godot" under the auspices of Beckett himself, and publish their poems for children at risk.

Tannenbaum must struggle with the men's past actions while reveling in providing an outlet for the men using an art form she adores. She also finds herself in some moments allying herself with the prison administration, with authority, against the prisoners who are dependant on her for emotional release and artistic expression.

The book shines when relating the poetry of the men, when we witness the blossoming of a caged man on paper. It is then that we connect to these men from our own ambiguous cages-no doubt less confining than iron and steel-and take heart from their actions that we, too, can still soar free.

Summary of Disguised As A Poem: My Years Teaching at San Quentin

Memoirs Books

• Books > Subjects > Biographies & Memoirs
• Professionals & Academics > Educators
• Law > Criminal Law
• Literature & Fiction > Poetry
• Crime & Criminals  > Criminology
• Penology