About book Fish: A Memoir Of A Boy In A Man's Prison (2006)
FISH is one man's account of what it was like being arrested at 17 for robbery with a toy gun, tried as an adult, and sent to prison for years. (The term "Fish" refers to new prisoners.) The memoir is a very powerful and moving account of the U.S.'s prisons and correctional system, and their shortcomings. It gives people who have never been to prison an insight and a frightening look into what goes on, and how everyone (society, judges, lawyers, officers, guards, wardens, other prisoners, etc.) just turns a blind eye. Granted, the author's prison time took place in the late 1970s/early 1980s, so things have probably changed somewhat since then, but it's probably still a pretty similar account of what continues to exist today. Did he deserve to go to prison? Maybe, maybe not. The time he received was probably a bit harsh for the age he was and for the crime he committed. However, the author is not an innocent victim in all of this either. He had prior run-ins with the authorities and was obviously a troubled teenager who didn't think of the consequences of his actions. (Although he should have since his older brother had already gone through it!) What he DIDN'T deserve, though, was the forcible, repeated rape once inside the confines of the prison. While the author doesn't go into full graphic detail each time it occurs, he provides plenty of information for us to imagine and visualize the torture he did endure on a regular basis. It is not pleasant, and this book is probably not for those with weak stomachs. Because of its subject matter, I hesitate to say that I "enjoyed" this book, but I will say that it was excellently written and I learned a great deal. His account was informative and educational, but not tediously so. The book was a quick read and it held my interest throughout. I think the book should be shared with the general public to (hopefully) frighten them to consider their actions so they don't have to endure what the author (and other prisoners) had to on a daily basis. I was also pleased that, at the end of the memoir, the author provided follow-up information for the reader, following his release from prison. We learn what he has done with his life since incarceration and how he became a better person because of his experiences. His letter from a fellow prisoner 25 years later brought tears to my eyes. It was very touching.
I never heard of this book until recently. After the last "page," my Kindle directed me to related books that readers of "Orange is the New Black" have read. Given this, I thought the book would be an interesting comparison, given that it is set in a men's state prison rather than in a women's federal prison. The book, however, provides very little insight into how a state ran prison operates. Instead, it is more of a coming of age story. Specifically, it's how one young man, who enters prison at 17, comes of age and, more importantly, comes to terms with sexuality while in prison. This, though, is where my problems with the book lie.The book graphically describes the rape scenes in way that seems almost as if they were relished rather than reviled. To me, the intense descriptions were unnecessary, and after repeated details of various rapes it started to feel almost like pandering. It felt as if the book was written for people with a prurient curiosity. If there was a prison rape romance novel genre, then the first half of the book would fit into it.That being said, I thought I would really dislike the entire book, but in third quarter of it, the book started to grow on me. It's here that the story shifts and the author delves more internally as he comes to terms with his sexual orientation, deals with injustice within the justice system, begins his spiritual journey, and realizes his own potential. If it weren't for the last quarter of this book, I probably would only give it a one-star rating, but the final chapters more than make up for what is endured in the first three-quarters as Tim undergoes self-evaluation, accepts himself (and responsibility for his past actions), and then moves forward to closure. In that sense, the book mirrors how prisoners might develop as they serve their sentences.
Do You like book Fish: A Memoir Of A Boy In A Man's Prison (2006)?
I wanted to give this book more than 3 stars, but I couldn't. I did mostly enjoy it though. Ever since I took a class with inmates in the local jail, I've been very interested in learning about their stories and in learning about prison reform. I figured that I could get some insight into both of those by reading this book, especially since Parsell is now a big advocate of prison reform. Unlike other reviewers, I don't think he "romanticized" his rapes. He spent a lot of time in the book discussing the long term psychological effects that came from those assaults. Yes, I did thing he tended to be a little more romantic in terms of Slide Step, though his error in that was revealed later in the story. And though he also was positive with his experiences with Scatter, Brett, and Paul, I found those to be more about his sexual orientation, which he came into. I found the beginning of the book (about his childhood) unnecessary, because I really picked up this book because I wanted to know about the prison system as a whole. Though I liked some inclusion of his prior life at the beginning of the chapters, I didn't feel that it worked during the first two chapters or so. One of the biggest things that bothered me about this book were the spelling and punctuation mistakes. "Ridding" instead of "riding," for example. This book very much needed an editor. But I thought the ending was well-written, though I'm not entirely sure the letters between him and Paul were needed, but the epilogue and afterthought tied up a lot of loose ends for the story. I'm happy that Parsell is now working towards prison reform and also embracing who he is.
—Jess
Definitely a page turner. You cringe with what might come next. Yet, it is more the sick side of human nature that I found that I was curious about what comes next. You want something awful to happen so you can recoil and the difficulty as to which this man survived the experience. As a true tale, you feel awful for the guy and can't imagine what he went through. It was a really sad read but good. However, I felt like a voyeur - or a serf in medievil times willing going to the Town Square to watch someone be hanged. I guess it revealed in me something I didn't like about myself. It also confirmed for me how backwards our society is and how digusting the whole prison system is. I think it is just a matter of time before more people realize what a disaster the penal system is and how we are creating more monsters rather than trying to figure out how to help those who can be helped and making people more productive members of society.
—Gregory
While I tend not to like books that dwell on the prurient interests surrounding the rapes of young guys in prison, this book held some appeal because it dealt with the prisons in my home state of Michigan. I had an uncle that made a few mistakes and did a stretch at the state penitentiary in Jackson Michigan. My grandmother often visited my uncle there and usually got my dad to take her. One time my mom and dad decided to drop my grandma off with us kids in the car. The high walls and the machine gun turrets are still imposing images in my mind. This is a true story and the author is only a few years older than I am. His story of the brutal environment inside the prison seemed all the more striking because it was grounded in events of the day that I experienced as a contemporary. He tells it like it was and it's not entirely bleak. There are touching moments and he even learns a bit about how to deal with the outside world while inside. While it's not a cheery subject by any means it is a fascinating read.
—Stephen
