For The Least of These: Reflections of a Prison Librarian

A long white line runs down the center of the main corridor at Soledad State Prison. I walked that line every day. This facility, located in the Salinas Valley of California, housed three thousand inmates.

Each inmate had a tale of woe, which explains the circumstances leading to their confinement. That’s three thousand unique stories (a few of which were even true). When one adds to this number, the rationale provided by staff explaining why they chose prison employment, the number of stories increase.

I ought to know; I was the Law Librarian. And I had stories of my own.

Between the covers of this book are some of these stories. The tales are gritty, funny, uplifting and sad. The author notes that many, including Evangelicals, often claim “All Lives Matter.” The writer examines historical events to determine the date that “All Lives” began to matter. The writer also notes the composition of the inmate population and connects this number to the “Black Lives Matter/All Lives Matter” movement.

About the author
Fred has a B.A. Degree in Political Science and African American Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a post-graduate degree in Library Science from U.C. Berkeley. He retired from the California Prison System after 25 years of employment.