Stumbled upon James Frey

Yup..I picked it up, after seeing someone look completely absorbed in it on the tube. Okay I am not exactly picking it up while its hot. But I have spent the best part of the weekend stuck inside 'A Million Little Pieces'

Its a serious, dark, well told tale of an Alcoholic, a Drug Addict and a Criminal.
I did not know the Queen of TV and pretty much anything else of any consequence in the US..Oprah herself has been involved in the huge debate that surrounds this book. Apparently its not all non-fiction and the author, James Frey, has been asked to apologize to the public.

I did not know about the debate, I have noticed the book in various locations in book shops and also on some charts sometime ago. So while shopping for groceries I picked up 'A million little pieces'. I must say, I do not care about the debate too much - the book is great, it asks to be read at one sitting! Its straight forward, graphic, in places disgusting, very realistic and cynical, some interesting philosophy in places. Now I shall have to pick it's sequel!! Read it. I kept thinking that I need to go back to prison and read bits of it to my students..but I cant..I dont work there anymore..perhaps one of my ex colleagues can do that. I used to teach drug addicts gone cold turkey..and some of what I am reading in Frey's book recalls conversations I have had in prison with people.

One Flew Over...

Its not been too long since the last time I had one of my students kill himself. It came as a nasty surprise this morning. Intense depression was not cured by intensive therapy and a close watch. It was depressing to see a young life wasted. And last night. Another one. Another young prisoner who had enough of being in prison decided to end his own life by setting himself and his cell on fire. What a painful and desperate thing to do. I feel for his family and for all those who loved him.
Death in custody is fastidiously monitored and trained for in prisons, we have all sorts of paper work to make such incidence a thing of the past. Lots of training, yet issues which could become options between life and death are left as paper trails to be picked and followed within the regime timings. A lot of lectures and information leaflets and constant vigilance while interacting with prisoners. Yet you do not know who shall slip through, and when, and how. It is sad.
Some would say he was a criminal and must have harmed another human being and does not deserve sympathy. I do not think so, these are young people who have gone off the rails, they do horrible things, but then they also spend a lot of their young lives in prisons as a punishment. They do not deserve to die.