Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man's Prison (T.J. Parsell)

When seventeen-year-old T.J. Parsell held up the local Photo Mat with a toy gun, he was sentenced to four and a half to fifteen years in prison. The first night of his term, four older inmates drugged Parsell and took turns raping him. When they were through, they flipped a coin to decide who would "own" him. Forced to remain silent about his rape by a convict code among inmates (one in which informers are murdered), Parsell's experience that first night haunted him throughout the rest of his sentence. In an effort to silence the guilt and pain of its victims, the issue of prisoner rape is a story that has not been told. For the first time Parsell, one of America's leading spokespeople for prison reform, shares the story of his coming of age behind bars. He gives voice to countless others who have been exposed to an incarceration system that turns a blind eye to the abuse of the prisoners in its charge. Since life behind bars is so often exploited by television and movie re-enactments, the real story has yet to be told. Fish is the first breakout story to do that.  From GoodReads



This is not the usual book I would randomly pick up to read.  I actually hunted it down because of a paper I needed to write for my English class.  It ended up that I didn't use it for my paper, but I find it difficult to not finish a book.

I found this book to be well written.  It had to be agonizing to relive the abuse and horror endured by the author in prison.  And yes, he was in jail for a crime - but no one deserves to be abused in such a way.

There is no sugar coating in this book - so if you're going to read it be prepared for that.  Not only does it talk about being gang-raped (repeatedly) but also the emotions of the author discovering his sexuality.

Overall I did enjoy this book.  Not 'light' reading but a good book.

I give it 3 out of 5.


~ Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~ Author Unknown