Solitary: A Biography (National Book Award Finalist; Pulitzer Prize Finalist)

This is the life story of Albert Woodfox who spent over four decades in solitary confinement in the brutal… infamous… Angola prison in Louisiana. Albert came from a fatherless home… and his early life was nothing but petty crime after petty crime… and just like the steps of becoming a drug addict… he continued to increase the severity of his unrelenting life of crime. After spending time in one jail after another… he “graduated” to armed robbery and was sentenced to a fifty year sentence in Angola. This early rapid fire literary dissertation… is presented to the reader with an almost stone-faced lack of remorse. At this point he surely got what he deserved… “You reap what you sow”.I have always been a strong believer in criminal justice and law enforcement… but when Albert starts going back and forth from Angola to “The Tombs” in New York… and a myriad of other criminal depositories… and the treatment of black inmates… above and beyond the mistreatment of white inmates… will make you stop in your tracks… your heart will start beating faster… your stomach will actually turn sour…That is… “IF”… you are a true human being… with even a drop of empathy… for the human condition. When you hear of the disgusting conditions… the brutal treatment… the mental and physical degradation… of the very human soul… and very spirit… you’ll want to somehow do something about it. And that’s before… yes before… he gets… framed… NO… framed isn’t a good enough word… for how he and two others were falsely accused… and convicted for murdering a guard at Angola and given a life sentence. The way Albert was treated… in a 6 foot by 9 foot cell… 23 hours a day… for four decades. Lack of exercise… lack of sunlight… lack of legal timely response to complaints and constitutional rights… beatings upon beatings by soulless… non-human guards. Legal appeals that wouldn’t be answered or ruled upon for six months… six years… and on. As the story unfolds… what normal human beings would measure in minutes…. Days… weeks…. Are six months and six years for Albert. All the while he’s literally being tortured in a dungeon of human depravity.If someone described the way he was treated… as being treated like an animal… THAT’S A LIE… NOBODY TREATS ANIMALS THAT BAD! As if solitary confinement wasn’t enough… at Angola they punished prisoners in solitary with a greater punishment and DEGRADATION… if they had even a minor offense… or if the less than human guards were disappointed that they couldn’t drain every drop of personal pride and dignity out of Albert and his two close friends (The Angola 3)… they were sent to CAMP J…“The worst cell at Camp J was called “the booth” and was situated inside its own individual room. It was total and complete isolation. Anyone who “acted out” at Level 1 or in the dungeon was put in four-point restraints, handcuffed to a bed at the ankles and wrists, which forced a prisoner to lie in his own urine and feces. Anyone who struggled and banged his head had a football helmet put on him by a security officer.”Over the decades Albert was involved in riots… in hunger strikes that lasted over a month… beatings… no mattress… windows sealed shut… at times six prisoners locked up in a cell designed for two… and through it all… the biggest goal… the biggest battle… was to keep from going insane… which many did… and an additional personal goal… was to always be a good person! Early on in prison… Albert became acquainted with the Black Panthers. And unknown to many in everyday society… the Panthers weren’t founded as a violent group. They were formed to help their community… feed them… educate them… and be better human beings… And Albert… long after the Black Panthers ceased to exist… still adhered to those lofty principals. He stopped rapes from occurring whenever he could. He welcomed new inmates and let them know he would help them in any way… (And remember he’s in a hole twenty-three hours a day). I think what says it all… is Albert’s own words… **MY PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ALL MY YEARS IN SOLITARY WAS TEACHING A MAN TO READ. HIS NAME WAS CHARLES.”The one portion of the book that slows at times unfortunately… is the uncountable re-trials for murder… as they by necessity have to discuss (living or dead) all the different testimonies. The ones that lied… the ones that told the truth… the ones who recanted… and the reading back of deceased individual witnesses. But as slow as that was to the reader… you take a deep breath and realize Albert is going through this for the umpteenth time… with his long overdue freedom on the line… and this particular re-trial he may have waited six years for.Years later Albert got a copy of a letter “by a man who had been next to me at Camp J for a while. Someone who had heard about our case and lived in Baton Rouge wrote to him, asking if he’d ever heard of me. He sent an unsigned letter about meeting me.” (Note: I am only including a portion of it here… the full letter starts on page 255.)“After closely observing this man, I began to see a man who has been confined to a cell for over 27 years. I also see a man who has been condemned to die here in Angola. But yet I seen no hate within him. Nor do I see fear. But he did show that he was a man determined to become a better person. While realizing that he was living in a world where being better sometimes meant nothing. He showed that he was a man whose wisdom may very well be unlimited and whose strive for knowledge has become his faith. Seeing all this and more, in Mr. Woodfox, is what inspired me to become a better person within myself. Through Mr. Woodfox I was reminded that a man who chooses not to seek knowledge is the same as a boy who choose not to become a man. I now realize that knowledge can be the key for that what sometimes seem impossible in life.”I too… after reading this anguished… yet in the end beautiful… and uplifting story… am inspired to be a better person. I am a proud Jewish man… so when I state the following it is with much pre-thought. I am very careful before I ever compare anything to Hitler and the Nazi’s. But the wardens and guards in Angola… like the death camp commanders and guards in the Holocaust death camps… should have just as much legal jeopardy without any statute of limitations.

this man is not a hero in the typical sense. due to circumstances of race, he learns to survive by whatever means. you will learn about that and a lot about prison. you will learn about the BLACK PANTHERS and if you had a negative, ignorant view of the black panthers you will change your mind and wish they were still around. if you are a racist, go away.if you want to incorporate the unbelievable survival, forgiveness and fortitude of Albert woodfox’s experience into your life, this book is for you. and yes it did help me to understand my upcoming dark retreat a little better.

It starts off interesting. However, in my opinion it is too long. I think the memoir could have been condensed. I am almost done, but can't get myself to keep reading. I appreciate the message and the experience of Alfred Woodfox. However, I wish there was more of a message to change the course of one's life early on by making choices to obey the laws and fight for justice and equality with voice and action instead of rebelling with crimes that place you in jail.That being said, I feel empathy for the wrongful conviction of murder and disdain for the way criminals were treated. There is a strong message of civil and human rights which is powerful. However, it lacks the message of human choice and the dire consequences of criminal acts. The book could have been presented as a strong deterrent against stealing, and other crimes. It could have been used to discuss or debate ways to change society to help those impoverished from birth to find a path out without landing in prison. Overall, the book is well-written, thought provoking and meaningful.

This book should be read by every American. What happened to this man was a travesty but he is incredibly not bitter and is able to articulate his life in a very moving way. I highly recommend this memoir and hope that he can enjoy his remaining years of freedom knowing that he has educated a lot of people unaware of the inherent racial bias of our criminal justice system.

This book was well written and serves as a raw, honest, and insightful examination of being confined due to a lengthy sentence that was not deserved and many men of color have found themselves in the same circumstances as what is described in this book! It's also a book that provides insight into the survival methods that are part of the prison eco-system, including the close friendships and associations that men (and women) create to withstand a life of being restricted from the outside world. I really admire this man's courage and fortitude in the worst of circumstances and he's a public speaker that is highly requested in the university circles (Ivy Leagues). Expect to feel the pain and empathy for this man as he describes the unfair treatment he was exposed to as a teenager through his middle age years.

This is a remarkable story of this man's ability to survive inhumane conditions -- 40 years in solitary confinement -- much of it within the worst prison in the USA. Angola Prison in Louisiana was a terrible facility -- used for punishment as opposed to rehabilitation. Albert Woodfox was wrongly convicted of killing one of the prison guards and was in solitary in Angola for 40 years. He survived. He overcame incredible obstacles and developed qualities that few people out in the world will ever achieve. He avoided bitterness and resentment and is an inspiration to anyone who reads or learns his story.

This book takes away your heart, your naivety. This book should never have been written because humanity should never have been so warped towards such cruelty. I've cried with anger, sadness and pure disbelief. The shocking thing was the horrors Albert faced were not centuries ago in a different era these was now in my lifetime. Albert is a man of strength and courage, along with the others in Angola 3 they are men of power. Yet they should never have needed to be. The more I read about the Black lives matter the more I feel ashamed of my race. I pray for a world of equality where people are not judged by the colour of their skin. A world where my naivety is truth.

The global experience of lockdown for Covid-19 must add an unprecedented degree of empathy to reading this account of decades-long confinement. However profoundly unequal the experiences, it is sobering to consider how poorly people function even when confined to their own homes for a few months. Taxes pay for the legal system, people should know what they are paying for. Prison conditions shouldn’t be out of sight and out of mind.

Albert Woodford is a truly incredible person. His autobiography is remarkable. The calm way in which he outlines his experience at the hands of the justice and penal system is in stark contrast to the violence and racism he describes. The strength of his belief in justice, eqality and the moral right is hard to comprehend. His lack of bitterness and patience comes through his writing, but not as much as an overwhelming humbleness. Sadly, his real life experience makes for a more incredible read than any fiction you may pick up today. A moving and inspiring read.

An epic struggle against all odds. The renewal of one’s spirit dedicated to bring justice not just to oneself, but to all suffering under a system of dishonesty and discrimination.Buy it now, not just one copy, but also for your friends and family. You will never regret it.

Amazing book about an amazing man whos struggle was a long and very hard one but through it all he retained his humanity. An absolute must read for everyone, now at arguably more than any other time in history we need to work as one, to make justice something for all, to stop the 1% dividing us and if ever there are people who can show you that this is possible against any odds the Angola 3 are the ones to do it