Prose and Cons: Essays on Prison Literature in the United States

As the United States’ prison population has exploded over the past 30 years, a rich, provocative and ever-increasing body of literature has emerged, written either by prisoners or by those who have come in close contact with them. The 14 essays in this work examine the last 30 years of prison literature from a wide variety of perspectives. These essays examine race, gender, ideology, aesthetics and language.