A Hard Man Shatters But a Strong Man Endures
Ever wonder what prison life is really like? Seth “Soul Man” Ferranti takes readers to the belly of the beast with his raw, uncut narration of PRISON STORIES. PRISON STORIES, based on an insider’s view, tells the story of young Guero, a suburban white drug dealer learning the ropes, politics and keys to survival in the federal prison system. With jewels of wisdom from friends and fellow inmates, examples of cellmates, and his own experiences, Guero quickly learns the dos and don’ts. “You can’t be selling wolf tickets in the pen, unless you want six inches of steel in your gut.” As the months roll into years, will Guero allow the life behind bars to dictate his future beyond the bars?
Seth’s storytelling is both enjoyable and insightful. Narration was effectively alternated between main character Guero and anecdotes; anecdotes that cover everything from snitches to shakedowns, drugs to gumps, sneak thieves to paperwork parties. “Catfish” was my favorite. Told this way, it allowed readers not only in on Guero’s particular situation and life through his eyes, but also the many characters and events that go down all day every day in the prison system. Although Seth does a good job acclimating readers to this environment, there were times I didn’t have complete understanding. Translating conversations and slang from Spanish to English would have been helpful.
Overall, PRISON STORIES is a promising debut and I look forward to more.
Reviewed by: Toni