Ludwig's Son

Peering behind the bars

Revisado: 07-30-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

In the foreword to his prison memoir “Ink from the Pen,” Mark Olmsted states frankly that he saw his fellow inmates as actors, whose actions he observed as “little plays.” Recording what he saw in letters to his sister, the letters became a blog and then this fascinating account of life in various prisons, as seen through the eyes of a highly educated, articulate, intelligent white man from what many would see as an enviable background. Interwoven with prison escapades of cons with nicknames like Undertaker, Extra, Whisper, and Thumper, are memories of childhood summers in France with his family, little league games in suburban Virginia, all the security of a loving, middle-class white family.

So how did Olmsted end up in prison for drug dealing, after being denied bail (this wasn’t his first arrest). He lets us know up front that he’s not going to tell us - not in this book. His intention, and achievement, is to give a picture of prison life, which, for many, is dangerous and lonely. While Olmsted receives buckets of mail, many men get none at all. They have been forgotten by everyone they knew or loved. The book is a way of remembering them.

The prose is both straightforward and lyrical. The reading by Michael Crouch is superb - direct, sympathetic without sentimentality, all “characters” beautifully acted. It’s a compelling performance, one to savor over a days, a chapter or two at a time.

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