Chris Haller

An enjoyable and compelling read

Revisado: 01-30-24

Journalist Eva Fedderly's first book, These Walls, started out as an exploration into the architecture of jails, but developed into a deep dive into the entire incarceration system.
Reporting for Architectural Digest, Fedderly was investigating the planned closure of Riker's Island jail in New York, but quickly found out that it was a very complex matrix of problems being approached simplistically by entrenched interests and patterns of thought. Through her extensive research, she found they were simply expensive band aids that would do nothing to solve the issues of recidivism, substandard prison conditions, violence and current prison culture.
She clearly did her homework. She interviewed justice architects, prison officials, city commissioners, neighbors and of course, the inmates themselves (now called incarcerated individuals). She even traveled to Arkansas, to tour the Garland County Detention Center, an award-winning jail that somehow evades the bureaucracy, to address the fundamental issues mentioned above.
Fedderly does a masterful job of integrating all of these viewpoints, facts and figures into a compelling and thought-provoking narrative. Early on in the book she interviews an inmate named Moose, a charismatic and positive character who has spent much of his adult life in the jail system. She keeps tabs on him throughout her research for the book, including his release and subsequent re-arrest and return to Rikers. His insights provide a human perspective and common thread to the story she narrates.
In the end this is an enjoyable read which also illuminates a very real problem that faces not only New York, but the entire country. She finds a way of providing an abundance of information and viewpoints without overwhelming the reader. Indeed, I found myself drawn into this book from beginning to end.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña