Free: Two Years, Six Lives, and the Long Journey Home

Lauren Kessler (BSJ71)

95 percent of the millions of American men and women who go to prison eventually get out. What happens to them?
A gripping and empathetic work of immersion reportage, Free: Two Years, Six Lives, and the Long Journey Home, by veteran journalist Lauren Kessler reveals what awaits the hundreds of thousands released from prison every year: the first rush of freedom followed quickly by institutionalized obstacles and logistical roadblocks, grinding bureaucracies, lack of resources, societal stigmas and damning self-perceptions, the often overwhelming psychological challenges. Free follows six people whose diverse stories paint an intimate portrait of struggle, persistence, and resilience.