Reviews for The Funhouse Mirror: Reflections on Prison

The average rating for The Funhouse Mirror: Reflections on Prison based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-02-10 00:00:00 Mark Hausmann The author taught creative writing in prisons for eight years; in this book, he showcases a few inmates' stories and his own reflections on prison life. Reading the inmates' stories (especially TJ Granack's, whose "Welcome To the Steel Hotel: Survival Tips For Beginners" is a wry, succinct capsule of prison's unwritten rules), I can only shake my head the stupid, shortsighted policy that cuts educational funding in prison, turning kids with bad lives who've made bad choices into ignorant monsters, a policy that harms law-abiding people in the long run. Gordon himself is not exactly the greatest writer alive (his wordy, digressive, conversational style is sometimes grating), but he makes good points, and kudos to him for giving these cons voices.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-03-02 00:00:00 Mohan Gill I'm a bit torn here. I really liked and connected with the student/convict's writing: TJ Granack's "Welcome to the Steel Hotel: Survival Tips for Beginners," and Michael Collins' "Seventeen Fistfights Later" - are gritty and real and nothing short of brilliant. But I didn't connect with Robert Ellis Gordon's writing, which unfortunately for me, was the majority of the book. Yet the The Funhouse Mirror: Reflections on Prison wouldn't even exist if it hadn't been for Gordon. He taught the writing classes in prison where the convict essays originated - and compiled, edited, and basically made this book. I have mass respect for Gordon - bringing anything positive into prison is much needed and unbelievably constructive for those who are incarcerated. It's just that I had hoped the book would have been more of their writing.