An American Marriage

Written by: Tayari Jones

First line: There are two kinds of people in the world, those who leave home and those who don't.

Why you should read this book: Roy and Celestial, a young, professional, newlywed couple, have suffered a few setbacks in their first year of marriage, but when Roy is falsely accused and convicted of rape and sentenced to twelve years in prison for being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time, their prospects appear truly bleak. The genius in this book, I think, is the author's use of voice: three separate character are portrayed through the use of first person narrative, with Roy and Celestial's voice changing and maturing over time, and an epistolary chapter comprising Roy's correspondence with his wife and family while incarcerated. In many ways it's an emotionally difficult story, and I'm still not sure how I feel about the payoff at the end, but it's incredibly well-written, provocative and realistic and heartbreaking.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't understand why anyone would ever leave home.

The Night Dad Went to Jail: What to Expect When Someone You Love Goes to Jail

Written by: Melissa Higgins

First line: This is one of my before drawings.

Why you should read this book: This is a kind-hearted and sympathetically written work for small children struggling with the aftermath of a loved ones incarceration, although the subject matter seems to be of interest to most young children, even if their parents are not prisoners. Sketch, a sad-eyed rabbit child, witnesses his father's arrest; deals with social services, cruel schoolmates, and volatile anger; visits his father in jail and in prison; and eventually, with much support, learns to adapt to a life where he can cope with his father's mistakes and absence. This book includes informative sidebars and an appendix with a glossary, a list of books and website for more information, and an index.

Why you shouldn't read this book: A bunny goes to jail!

The Wind in the Willows

Written by: Kenneth Grahame

First line: The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring cleaning his little home.

Why you should read this book: Wisely deciding that spring cleaning is lame, the friendly and loyal Mole runs away from domestic responsibility and falls into company with the brave and gregarious Water Rat, who teaches him how to row a boat, pack a picnic basket, and plan a siege. Together, the two animals entertain themselves on the riverbank, along with the friendly Otter, the intelligent Badger, and the wholly irresponsible, shamefully boastful, criminally reckless, stupidly wealthy, and all around party guy, Mr. Toad. Whether they're getting lost in the Wild Wood, rescuing a baby otter with wanderlust, or defending their friend's home from stoats and weasels, these delightful characters continue to weave their spell of enchantment across the gulf of a century.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You are currently in jail on a hit and run charge.

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.