Dr. Eastman offers himself as a case study, returning to the sudden loss of his mother at just twenty-two months, and his upbringing as the last of six children parented by a hardworking but rigid and emotionally vacant father. In the context of depression-era poverty and emotional deprivation, he developed what is called a schizoid personality disorder. He sought safety and refuge in a self-made prison of both grandiose and painfully lonely imaginings. Obsessively intellectual, he developed his mental processes to avoid feeling and any true intimacy. The preoccupation with abstract technical and philosophical issues shut him away from people. He became addicted to risk and to sex; professional rules that interfered did not apply to him. He repeatedly reconfigured his life — careers and relationships — to protect his schizoid “cylinder” of isolation. Others suffered; so did Eastman. Yet buried deep within lay an unquenchable thirst for connection and a heroic determination to understand and to heal. Eastman’s relentlessly honest story unfolds with commentary at the end of each chapter to clarify the clinical picture of the schizoid personality, which is still not well understood. Unlike schizophrenia, in which the split exists between the real world and a distorted inner world, the schizoid protects a private inner self that is experienced as rich and special. The stilted outer self is often mistaken for disinterest, detachment, or even hostility. Unlike the psychopath who presents a convincingly normal outer persona, the schizoid may appear socially awkward, tightly controlled, eccentric, and often intellectually superior. The schizoid’s pathological focus on self is a recognizable human quality — writ very large, indeed. George Eastman’s memoir and his meticulous analysis of the disorder is a gift, and proof that that although we may be our own jailers and prisoners, we have the power to set both free.

"The ... story of a fourteen-year-old sentenced to life in prison, of the extraordinary relationship that developed between him and the woman he shot, and of his release after twenty-six years of imprisonment through the efforts of ... legal activist Bryan Stevenson"--

In a stunning work of insight and hope, New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb once again reveals his unmatched talent for finding humanity in the lost and lonely and celebrates the transforming power of the written word. For several years, Lamb has taught writing to a group of women prisoners at York Correctional Institution in Connecticut. In this unforgettable collection, the women of York describe in their own words how they were imprisoned by abuse, rejection, and their own self-destructive impulses long before they entered the criminal justice system. Yet these are powerful stories of hope and healing, told by writers who have left victimhood behind. In his moving introduction, Lamb describes the incredible journey of expression and self-awareness the women took through their writing and shares how they challenged him as a teacher and as a fellow author. Couldn't Keep It to Myself is a true testament to the process of finding oneself and working toward a better day.

In a stunning work of insight and hope, New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb once again reveals his unmatched talent for finding humanity in the lost and lonely and celebrates the transforming power of the written word. For several years, Lamb has taught writing to a group of women prisoners at York Correctional Institution in Connecticut. In this unforgettable collection, the women of York describe in their own words how they were imprisoned by abuse, rejection, and their own self-destructive impulses long before they entered the criminal justice system. Yet these are powerful stories of hope and healing, told by writers who have left victimhood behind. In his moving introduction, Lamb describes the incredible journey of expression and self-awareness the women took through their writing and shares how they challenged him as a teacher and as a fellow author. Couldn't Keep It to Myself is a true testament to the process of finding oneself and working toward a better day.

Over the past four decades, the rate of incarceration in the United States has skyrocketed to unprecedented heights, both historically and in comparison to that of other developed nations. At far higher rates than the general population, those in or entering U.S. jails and prisons are prone to many health problems. This is a problem not just for them, but also for the communities from which they come and to which, in nearly all cases, they will return. Health and Incarceration is the summary of a workshop jointly sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences(NAS) Committee on Law and Justice and the Institute of Medicine(IOM) Board on Health and Select Populations in December 2012. Academics, practitioners, state officials, and nongovernmental organization representatives from the fields of healthcare, prisoner advocacy, and corrections reviewed what is known about these health issues and what appear to be the best opportunities to improve healthcare for those who are now or will be incarcerated. The workshop was designed as a roundtable with brief presentations from 16 experts and time for group discussion. Health and Incarceration reviews what is known about the health of incarcerated individuals, the healthcare they receive, and effects of incarceration on public health. This report identifies opportunities to improve healthcare for these populations and provides a platform for visions of how the world of incarceration health can be a better place.

A beautiful commemorative edition of Dr. Martin Luther King's essay "Letter from Birmingham Jail," part of Dr. King's archives published exclusively by HarperCollins. With an afterword by Reginald Dwayne Betts On April 16, 1923, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., responded to an open letter written and published by eight white clergyman admonishing the civil rights demonstrations happening in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. King drafted his seminal response on scraps of paper smuggled into jail. King criticizes his detractors for caring more about order than justice, defends nonviolent protests, and argues for the moral responsibility to obey just laws while disobeying unjust ones. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" proclaims a message - confronting any injustice is an acceptable and righteous reason for civil disobedience. This beautifully designed edition presents Dr. King's speech in its entirety, paying tribute to this extraordinary leader and his immeasurable contribution, and inspiring a new generation of activists dedicated to carrying on the fight for justice and equality.