Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Testimonies from Our Imprisoned Sisters

Author: Wally Lamb & the Women of York Correctional Institution

First line: The toy department at the Durable store sold two blackboards.

Why you should read it: Wally Lamb taught memoir-writing skills to a group of incarcerated women, and the women rewarded him by opening their souls and revealing the trauma and violence that had pervaded their entire lives. A dozen short essays by eleven writers demonstrate the effects of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse on women and paint a picture of life behind bars for some of the most powerless people in the country.

Why you shouldn't read it: You are sensitive to painful recollections of rape, incest, and domestic violence.