The world of
incarceration was one
I had almost never
considered until my
wife and I became book
club volunteers. It’s a
complex world, one that
affects far more than
we had considered.
dystopia — you name it. On more
than one occasion, I would not
have fi nished what I was reading
had I not agreed to do so, a BCFI
promise. More often than not,
books I didn’t enjoy elicited some
of the best discussions. I guess
the saying is true: No two people
ever read the same book.
Every meeting, technically from
5:30 to 6:30 p.m. (but we arrive
early and leave late) has been
a treasure. Were one unaware
of the setting, it could be any
school staff meeting (kind of like
at most elementary schools but
with the male/female proportion
reversed). The men wear casual
clothes except for institutional
winter coats. Some members
are more vocal than others but
the insights are amazing, the
discussions in-depth. Well, not
like all staff meetings.
As the volunteers drive to each
book club meeting, we are always
excited to see what will transpire.
As we drive away, we never fail
to talk about how enriching the
experience has been. When we
asked the club members if BCFI
was worthwhile and what they
liked about it, some responses
were: “Yes! The open discussions
about each book and how
everyone has their own opinion
and interpretation of what they’ve
read,” and “Yes! It’s been a good
interaction between inmates
and volunteers over a love of
reading,” and “Absolutely. The
conversation and brainstorming.
The social gathering. It is nice
to get out of my room and be
involved in a discussion.” Even
more important to us are the
handshakes and comments
(“Thank you so much” and “You
don’t know how important this
is”) at the end of each meeting.
We know that most of these
gentlemen will be returning to
life on the outside. Our hope
is that they go back better. We
encourage them to participate
honestly and openly and the
institution acknowledges their
involvement; it awards them with
a certifi cate for every six months
of attendance — a copy goes to
their fi le. We’ve asked them to
encourage a wife or signifi cant
other on the outside to read the
month’s
month s book. One inmate noted
it was a true highlight of his
phone conversations to be able to
talk about something positive.
As any good teacher knows,
we all bring something diff erent
to the table. And we also know
that nothing happens all by itself
— and I wondered where the
funding comes from: eighteen
books a month, over $4,000 a
year. Simple: donations.
And you, dear reader, what
can you do? Donate? Of course:
see Book Clubs For Inmates
bookclubsforinmates.com.
Become a volunteer? Quite likely:
again go to the BCFI site. Share
this article with others? I hope
so. The world of incarceration
was one I had almost never
considered until my wife and I
became book club volunteers. It’s
a complex world, one that aff ects
far more than we had considered.
Has it been worthwhile?
Absolutely, let’s hear one for
the cons. ●
Jock Mackenzie always has at
least two books on the go — an
audio book and a turn-the-real-
pages book. Thanks to a Canada
Council grant, he’s working with
mentor Sigmund Brouwer on his
own book, a crime drama set in
Red Deer.
A bookmark made by an inmate in the BCIF Jock volunteers with.
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