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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR READERS – ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS
Rabbit in the Jungle tells a classically American story of second chances, hard work and hope. Sometimes raw and gritty, the book traces Anthony Alegrete’s rise from the streets of Los Angeles, through the penal system, to the halls of academia and the competitive business world of Las Vegas. Along the way he had a lot of fun, a little trouble and learned some lessons. This book shares his story in a way meant to be cautionary and inspiring.
With more tricks than Bugs Bunny and more charm than Roger Rabbit he navigated the street culture of Los Angeles during the heyday of West Coast hip hop; navigated safely through prison politics; built a reputation for himself at University of Nevada – Las Vegas and partnered up with local fitness experts to bring a trendy gym to the downtown area of Vegas.
Price: $14.95, or FREE with Audible.com 30-day free trial membership
Listen while you drive: “Rabbit in the Jungle”, now as an AUDIO-BOOK too!
http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B00EDRW1OE
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From a Book Review:
“Alegrete describes in his book the rough neighborhoods of Los Angeles, interactions with gang violence, police chases, prison riots, drug dealing and repercussions of street snitches. He met rap artists, criminals, celebrities, CEO’s, academics, people dedicated to good causes in non-profit organizations and everyone in between. His book describes a life, no thriller author could have come up with. Most important of all, he shows that there is always a way out, how he learned to make better decisions, into a life with a cause and how important family and friends are. His book is meant to be motivation and encouragement.
He tells them that struggles are never excuses to be complacent and not to do anything about circumstances, not to sit idle, hoping for change. And that’s exactly what he did, he survived and in this book he gives a kind of road map how someone can turn negatives into a positive way of life.” Price: $14.95, or FREE with Audible.com 30-day free trial membership
Get a Sample of “Rabbit in the Jungle” audio-book here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EEAVS4E
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Short excerpt from the audio-book:
“The first time I went to prison was in 2004. They charged me with conspiracy to commit access device fraud. I wasn’t creating the documents or using them for criminal purposes myself. My job was distribution. In the eyes of the law this is viewed as conspiracy because of the set-up required to produce and distribute the IDs and other items, which are then further used. Another participant in the scam got caught, and to protect himself he wore a wire and set me up.
My personal sense of honor prevented me from accepting a similar offer. I did it, I was caught, no point in taking anybody else down with me. Besides, I ain’t a snitch. Never have been, and never will be. It’s not worth it. Where I come from, a snitch is the lowest kind of maggot.
Guests of the federal prison system frequently get shuffled around, and I made stops in California, Oklahoma, and Texas. The constant moving sharpened my powers of observation and forced me to adapt. Boredom and loneliness were also constant challenges. The established routines for each day only fill so much time. The rest of the day feels very empty.
One of the main things I did was reading.
I remember reading is The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Green. Like Machiavelli and Sun-tsu before him, Green adopts a very ruthless, martial view of leadership and power. Over the course of 452 pages, he not only made history real he gave me the outline of a plan for my future. Prisons are essentially military systems. Just as Green used moments in history to illustrate the ways power is gained and manipulated, I used his work to negotiate my way through the minefield I had landed in. Green’s confrontational, militant, almost malicious style seemed tailor made for my surroundings. I couldn’t soak it in fast enough.
Up to that point my reading experience consisted of thumbing through magazines and completing school assignments. The idea that I could read something in a book and immediately apply it to improve my own position revolutionized my thinking. My encounter with that book was a defining moment.
It’s kind of a no-brainer that a majority of the gentlemen in the pen are not too fond of the government. As a result, conspiracy-theory books are fairly popular. The one I picked up was called Behold the Pale Horse by Bill Cooper. I decided that type of reading wasn’t really my thing. People connected with the anger and suspicion that goes into that kind of literature. I guess if you have trust issues it kind of plays into your mindset to read about things like the Roswell cover-up, secret societies and the new world order. If you travel too far down that road it’s hard to find your way back to a place in the real world. It’s not that I didn’t believe some of what was in those books, but that’s not a healthy, helpful way to think considering my circumstances at the time.
I looked at reading as a way to build myself up so I only read enough of that dark stuff to see what it was about and then moved on to things that helped me to move forward. I read nonfiction to fuel my ambition and shape my world view, but fiction had a place in my plan, too. Novels were a great way to escape and distract myself, but beyond that I could have vicarious experiences and get important insights into human nature. James Patterson, who wrote the Alex Cross series, and David Baldacci, who authored The Winner, tell compelling stories that held my interest. In prison you should read every single piece of writing that you can get your hands on. Beyond that though, you have to learn what to do with what you read.
Reading kept my mind occupied, it kept me out of trouble, and it provided peace in the midst of chaos. Everyone in prison reads, but not everyone is reading the right stuff and not everyone is taking the knowledge and using it.”
TV-Interview: Anthony Alegrete, author of “Rabbit in the Jungle” talks about his book – From Bars to Books – http://youtu.be/sypbPoE7lRs
Rabbit in the Jungle by Anthony Alegrete is certainly available as paperback and as an e-book
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Reading Books Shortens Prison Time!
Bestseller Prison Book
An interesting move at Brazilian prisons steered up quite a media buzz, when Reuters reported: “Reading offers Brazilian Prisoners Quicker Escape”.
The Globe and Mail’s Paul Koring wrote
“For Brazilian convicts, summer reading may be far more than just a flight of fancy. It offers shorter sentences.”
Aside from a plethora of poor plays on words as the media seized on the story, the announcement that Brazil’s federal corrections program was offering to slice four days off a convict’s time (with a maximum of 48 days a year) for every book they read – and properly written book report submitted – rekindled a long-running debate about high rates of illiteracy among prisoners.”
From AbeBooks.com “Passion for Books”
Four federal prisons in Brazil are trying an interesting pilot program on their inmates. Known as the “Redemption Through Reading” program, eligible prisoners (as decided by a specially-appointed judging panel) will be allowed to shorten their sentence by four days for every book they read, to a maximum 12 books per year – meaning a diligent, eligible prisoner could shave 48 days off a year’s incarceration.
The inmates are limited in their book selections and must choose from an approved list of literature, philosophy, science or classics. To ensure actual work, understanding and retention, each participant is required to complete an essay for every book. Ironically, there is an AbeBooks.com page: “Books Behind Bars: The Best Prison Literature”
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Gawker.com’s Neetzan Zimmerman added:
As part of a new rehabilitation initiative entitled “Redemption through Reading,” four federal prisons in Brazil will allow inmate to shave up to 48 days per year off their sentence in exchange for reading books. To prove they’ve read the books, convicts will be required to write book reports that “make correct use of paragraphs, be free of corrections, use margins and legible joined-up writing.”
“A person can leave prison more enlightened and with a enlarged vision of the world,” Sao Paulo lawyer Andre Kehdi, head of a prison book donation project, told Reuters. “Without doubt they will leave a better person.”
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My suggestion: Authors always scramble to get reviews. Wouldn’t it be a great idea to outsource books reviews to prisons. It could be a win-win situation for both: authors they can receive lots of reviews and prisoners – they have plenty of time to read : )
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Posted by ebooksinternational on July 10, 2012 in comment on posts, googling social, join the conversation, post to public, posting, Publishing, Publishing News, Reading
Tags: AbeBooks, Books behind Bars, Gawker.com, Globe&Mail, passion for books, prison literature, Reading offers Brazilian Prisoners Quicker Escape, Reading shortens prison time