“As a criminologist I am repeatedly reminded that every opportunity to put a human face on the statistics of correction is a move away from stereotypic thinking…Prisoners are not monsters who must be locked away forever in sterile environments for the protection of society. I’d like to add this book to my courses as a recommended book.”

—Julia Hall, Ph.D.

 Drexel University

“Celling America’s Soul is easily the most popular book in this Oklahoma prison unit’s library. All the black guys rave about how good it is and can’t get it passed along fast enough. At first they flocked around it, reading it in a group, but now are back to reading it two at a time inside their cages. With all of us pulling and the word spreading, we will get recognition eventually.”

—James Bauhaus

Oklahoma State Penitentiary

“[E]veryone who is connected to the correctional system needs to own a copy.”

—Bryan A. McMichael

Pennsylvania Prison Society

State Correctional Institution, Dallas PA

 “Tears welled as I read about life within these walls…I hope people read this book and see what prisons are really like. Thank you for being courageous in telling this story.”

—Dianna L. Hollis

President, PA CURE (Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants)

“Judith, the other SageWriters, Celling, Contemplations of a Convict, Healing Our Imprisoned Minds and whatever we may produce next are the answer to one of this prisoner’s prayers.”

 —Leonard Jefferson

State Correctional Institution, Albion PA

 “[A]n insightful, compelling book about the negative effects of America's criminal justice system…The brutally honest, heartfelt testimony gives insight into the challenges, abuse, trauma, indignities, and turmoil that many prisoners face on a daily basis…This book showcases the intellect and artistic talents of many prisoners.…All police, prosecutors, and judges should make Celling America’s Soul required reading so they remember that there is a person, spirit, and loving family behind that easy conviction…The book brings into focus what we all know, and wish to change. Prison does not rehabilitate, it does not heal, and it certainly does not make our society a safer place to live.”

—Darrell J. van Mostrigt

InnocenceDenied.com

“Celling is like a ‘broadside’ as in colonial times, a declaration of war against the penal system…It says all those things that any conscious and conscientious person must know.” 

—Carl Hirsch, PhD

Pennsylvania State University

“The book’s journey through Shadow America is authentic and intimate, with the voices of the incarcerated used to articulate the experiences, the issues and the transformations. Celling shows the reader’s role as a stakeholder in a degenerating prison process which contributes to increased risk to the community…The call is for rehabilitation rather than retribution.”

 —Errol McClean

Organization development consultant

“What goes on in America’s prisons is America’s best-kept secret…Prisoners say it is the best book in print that captures the horror, pathos, violence and ambiguity of prison life from most every perspective. As a white Republican lawyer, reading the truth of prisoners that the book captures has opened my eyes and I am horrified. These compelling, dramatic stories, exceptionally well-written, expose the brutality inflicted upon those we incarcerate…There are uplifting and heart-searing stories of men and women beaten down but yet transforming themselves, and the healing power of writing is on display on every page…This book had been deemed ‘dangerous’ by some prison officials and, until recently, was confiscated as ‘putting the security of the institution at risk.’ Prisoners were denied access to the book. Trustone, working with the Department of Correction, got the ban on the book lifted…It is a must-read for people of conscience.

—Robert Surrick, Esq.

Author of Lawyers, Judges and Journalists: The Corrupt and the Corrupters

(Editor’s note: Robert Surrick, appointed in 1980 by former PA governor Thornburgh to investigate corruption at the highest level, documented his twenty years of  whistleblowing against corrupt judges, lawyers and politicians in his new book. His appeal for the return of his law license was denied after he publicly called Supreme Court justices “long on greed and short on scholarship” during one of his two runs for State Supreme Court.)

Celling America’s Soul  has been recommended by NPR’s “Radio Times” and NAMI, the National Association for the Mentally Ill.