Since coming to prison, I have read over fifty books. Reading has saved me, even during the most stressful times in my sentence so far. It has melted away hours of time and brought my racing mind to a zen kind of calm. I read books that appealed to me – books on mental toughness, money, public speaking and leadership. I read books that I thought would help make me a better version of myself.
Then I opened my mind and decided to read fantasy as a genre. Fantasy never intrigued me, and I was shocked to find that fantasy books helped me so much. They consumed me in a positive way and, while reading, I wasn’t in jail. I was lost in a world of make-believe. Surprisingly, reading fantasy also improved my understanding of people as authors dissected characters down to their very core.
Even more surprising, reading in general has provided me with unseen benefits. It has improved my general fluency in speech and broadened my vocabulary. I believe it to be a form of meditation. Both my focus and my patience have improved massively. My social awareness is more acute. The benefits I have gained since being in prison are monumental. The knowledge I have gained from reading in prison is unparalleled.
Mac (HMP Swansea)
Thank you to Mac, a library user in HMP Swansea, for sharing their reading journey.
