Yes! You can go to prison without doing time. Noted literary biographer, documentarian, and journalist Brandon M. Stickney turns the pen upon himself as he takes us behind the scenes in three Buffalo area prisons as explored in his new book, The Five People You'll Meet in Prison: A Memoir of Addiction, Mania & Hope.

 

"Our Book Club welcomes Mr. Stickney, back by popular demand in person at the Gallery, and virtually, simultaneously," said Mary Kozub, the Gallery's Group Tour Manager. "We believe his unusual experiences in "a very different and absurd" part of New York State will enlighten and entertain our readers."

 

Mr. Stickney shares his journey from the celebrated author of All-American Monster, with appearances on A&E, CBS News, CNN, Court TV, the History Channel, and frequent guest spots on MSNBC -- to struggling to survive the psychological and physical stresses of the New York State Department of Correction.

Caught in an opiate epidemic drug sting and sentenced to prison, Mr. Stickney was surrounded by society's most troubled individuals and hostile guards. He faced his addiction and mental issues behind the razor wire.

 

Then he befriended four inmates and a guard who helped change, and save, his life. Haunted by severe cravings, nights of mania, and threatened by prison's evils, he clung to hope, learning that recovery is possible, even in the darkest of places.

 

Startling yet humorous, The Five People You'll Meet in Prison is part memoir, part exposé on the largest and most expensive of America's industries: prison. A memorable real-life rendering of the anti-hero's journey.

"Powerful and searing," says Jay McInerney, bestselling author, and dear husband of Anne Hearst of the Hearst Newspaper Dynasty

 

Critical acclaim for The Five People You'll Meet in Prison:

“Gritty, grim, and graphic narrative.”—Booklist

“A transcendent jailhouse memoir.”—Kirkus Reviews

WGN TV Chicago: https://wgntv.com/.../the-five-people-youll-meet-in-prison/
Paul Gilmartin Podcast: https://mentalpod.com/
The Buffalo News: Lockport man's prison memoir: 'I knew there was a story there that wasn’t being told' | Books | buffalonews.com