num_pages: 291
description: Just as Larry Newton one of the most notorious inmates at Indiana Federal Prison was trying to break out of jail Dr. Laura Bates was trying to break in. She had created the worlds first Shakespeare class in supermax  the solitary confinement unit.Many people told Laura that maximum-security prisoners are beyond rehabilitation. But Laura wanted to find out for herself. She started with the prison's most notorious inmate: Larry Newton. When he was 17 years old Larry was indicted for murder and sentenced to life with no possibility of parole. When he met Laura he had been in isolation for 10 years.Larry had never heard of Shakespeare. But in the characters he read he recognized himself. In this profound illustration of the enduring lessons of Shakespeare through the ten-year relationship of Bates and Newton an amazing testament to the power of literature emerges. But it's not just the prisoners who are transformed. It is a starkly engaging tale one that will be embraced by anyone who has ever been changed by a book.
language: English
title: Shakespeare Saved My Life
publisher: Sourcebooks