≡ PDF The Graybar Hotel Stories Curtis Dawkins Books

The Graybar Hotel Stories Curtis Dawkins Books

Download As PDF : The Graybar Hotel Stories Curtis Dawkins Books

The Graybar Hotel Stories Curtis Dawkins Books

This in, in fact, a beautifully written book, touching, revealing, restrained. Dawkins sure knows how write, and brings us skillfully into this unseen world that exists all over our country with little attention or awareness by the rest of us. I know there is much controversy about the book, but life imprisonment without freedom is not a slap on the wrist, he is a gifted writer, he has every right to write this compelling collection. I suppose I am biased, I should say I am an author.
Most of the book is set in jail or prison and are narrated in the first person, most often by an unnamed prisoner. Some of the stories go back in the prisoner's early life, it seemed me an effort by Dawkins to explain himself. He was wise not to try harder.
The family of the man he killed is outraged by the publication. Dawkins refers to his crime briefly in the book, he says little about it, other than this: "There's often so much sadness and grief in my heart, it feels like I might explode." That does come through in the stories.
Some of the characters in the book are ethereal, almost mystical like the inmate Pepper Pie who learns to make himself invisible and pass through walls, eventually escaping. The small details of prison life are gripping, and Dawkins avoids the obvious: he writes little about violence or rape.
Prisoners struggle to get through the day, thinking of the families and children, figuring out how to survive in prison. I understand the controversy and the mixed feelings but I feel obliged to say this is a true work of art, a beautifully written evocation of the lost world that exists alongside of us and challenges our humanity. We have the highest per capital prison population of any country in the world. I can't judge Dawkins one way or the other, the law has done that, but I can recommend the book highly. He is a fine writer, and I could hardly put it down. I believe he has the right to write the book, just as we all have the right to read it or avoid it. I'm glad I read it.


Tags : Amazon.com: The Graybar Hotel: Stories (9781501162299): Curtis Dawkins: Books,Curtis Dawkins,The Graybar Hotel: Stories,Scribner,1501162292,Crime,Literary,Short Stories (Single Author),Imprisonment - United States,Imprisonment;United States;Fiction.,Prison psychology - United States,Prison psychology;United States;Fiction.,Prisoners - United States,Prisoners;United States;Fiction.,Short stories,AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY FICTION,AMERICAN NOVEL AND SHORT STORY,American Contemporary Fiction - Individual Authors +,FICTION Crime,FICTION Literary,FICTION Short Stories (single author),Fiction,Fiction-Literary,FictionShort Stories (single author),GENERAL,General Adult,ReadingsAnthologiesCollected Works,United States,Which Way Out; Curtis Dawkins; Making a Murderer; Serial; Orange is the New Black; The New Jim Crow; Denis Johnson; Sherwood Anderson; short stories; prison; jail; prison industrial complex; incarceration; crime

The Graybar Hotel Stories Curtis Dawkins Books Reviews

Accurate portrail but for an ex parole officer, as depressing as real situation
One of the best book of short stories that I have ever read. An insightful look at human nature in a closed environment. An amazing feel for human nature when there is no reference point such a class, money or accomplishment. This book shows that man needs a reference point or the mind devises one.
This book is very well written and quite intriguing. When I finished I looked to see if I could find anythingelse he has written. I hope he writes more books he is really good at it! Way to go curtis Dawkins, thanks for a great read!
Amazing stories, set in a grim land, remind us that even those people lost and forgotten behind stone and steel remain human. This is a wonderful book. I hope it gets the attention it deserves.
Intelligently and poignantly written...stories and characters that pull you in and make you laugh and feel sad, but always engaged. All masterfully written by a brilliant mind, intellectually so and demonstrated by the incredible ability Dawkins has to transcend the prison walls and time through his story-telling. It is easy to see him as a PERSON, a father, husband, AUTHOR. But not so much a prisoner, though he addresses his true remorse over his past mistakes. He is truly so much more than his historical actions. A great read I'd recommend to anybody. Hope to see more from Dawkins!!
Every book club member liked this book, "well-written" and engaging; our discussion was lively and pertinent, as one of our members assists a
support group in a local prison for long-timers who are scheduled to be released. While that is certainly a different perspective than those described
in the Graybar Hotel, it contrasted the daily drudgery and lack of hope in the prison system as described by the author and his experience. This is a
gritty, inside and internal look at incarceration and the resulting disconnect prisoners experience. Still wondering about the outcome of the February hearing re the state of Michigan's suit to recoup the monies advanced to Dawkins by his publisher.
This is a moving, disturbing book. I enjoyed it but it kept me up at night. You really don't think about how mundane, boring and dehumanizing prison is.
This in, in fact, a beautifully written book, touching, revealing, restrained. Dawkins sure knows how write, and brings us skillfully into this unseen world that exists all over our country with little attention or awareness by the rest of us. I know there is much controversy about the book, but life imprisonment without freedom is not a slap on the wrist, he is a gifted writer, he has every right to write this compelling collection. I suppose I am biased, I should say I am an author.
Most of the book is set in jail or prison and are narrated in the first person, most often by an unnamed prisoner. Some of the stories go back in the prisoner's early life, it seemed me an effort by Dawkins to explain himself. He was wise not to try harder.
The family of the man he killed is outraged by the publication. Dawkins refers to his crime briefly in the book, he says little about it, other than this "There's often so much sadness and grief in my heart, it feels like I might explode." That does come through in the stories.
Some of the characters in the book are ethereal, almost mystical like the inmate Pepper Pie who learns to make himself invisible and pass through walls, eventually escaping. The small details of prison life are gripping, and Dawkins avoids the obvious he writes little about violence or rape.
Prisoners struggle to get through the day, thinking of the families and children, figuring out how to survive in prison. I understand the controversy and the mixed feelings but I feel obliged to say this is a true work of art, a beautifully written evocation of the lost world that exists alongside of us and challenges our humanity. We have the highest per capital prison population of any country in the world. I can't judge Dawkins one way or the other, the law has done that, but I can recommend the book highly. He is a fine writer, and I could hardly put it down. I believe he has the right to write the book, just as we all have the right to read it or avoid it. I'm glad I read it.