Prison & Poetry by Susan Bistrican

Finally, Jimmy’s stories. I agree that these probably would have been more effective and relevant if sprinkled throughout the theoretical part of the book. Oh well. I actually enjoyed these vignettes. Some parts are obnoxious—like when Baca talks about himself as a savior of sorts—but perhaps it takes the kinds of experiences he went through justify his ego. “The Swing Test that Made Us Men” and “The Magic Marble” are two good, short stories that could be used at the beginning of class to spark some freewriting in journals or whatnot. Honestly, I read a few of the questions on the classroom implications part at the end of each story, but they more or less were irrelevant to me and had the potential to harm my reading experience. However, I do appreciate Baca and Lent including them, especially if you’re a teacher looking for some direction when using these stories in the classroom. I think I might adapt some of the activities, but reducing such a powerfully emotional story like “Forgiving the Godfather of Poetry” to a discussion on literary devices ruins the story. I think one could definitely teach, for example, diction and paradox using this story, but I would always ALWAYS take a more reader response approach before reducing a story to discussion on form and mechanics. These stories are rich in the opportunity for reader response in particular, even if they aren’t universal. I’m not a gang member, but the trust and betrayal in “Sign Language, Convict Style” resounded with me. I’m not a convicted felon in a penitentiary, but “Birdhouses” spoke to me as a female and as someone who has suffered pain and loss. “Jimmy” can be annoying with his superiority complex, but these stories make me respect him. Again, he earns bragging rights in my book because the man taught himself how to read and write in prison in his twenties—that’s pretty damn impressive if you ask me.

Reading “The Swing Test that Made Us Men” and “Wells Market” made me feel funny and laugh at the same time. Oedipal overtones in the former story, anyone? But I won’t go there because obviously the orphans were missing a motherly figure in their lives and sought out comfort in one of the nuns; the story deserves more than a psychoanalytical reading. It was just funny that he talked about her breasts so much, haha. Also, the part in “Wells Market” where he was “awarded” the chance of poking the pig’s testicles so he could see the pig get an erection was so weird! But I think these “weird” instances in literature are what make pieces of texts interesting for students. Baca’s evocative language, though sometimes dripping with sentimentality through his overuse of adjectives, contributes to a worthy reading experience.