I'll Fly Away

by Wally Lamb and I'll Fly Away contributors

Book Overview

For several years, Wally Lamb, the author of two of the most beloved novels of our time, has run a writing workshop at the York Correctional Institution, Connecticut's only maximum-security prison for women. Writing, Lamb discovered, was a way for these women to face their fears and failures and begin to imagine better lives. Couldn't Keep It to Myself, a collection of their essays, was published in 2003 to great critical acclaim. With I'll Fly...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061626392
• ISBN13: 9780061626395
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

I'll Fly Away by Wally Lamb

Wally Lamb is a master at giving a voice to the forgotten people of society. I adore all of his books.

Wally Lamb's gift to the women incarcerated at York Prison....

I came across Wally Lamb's first book written by the women incarcerated at York Prison when I was a new volunteer at Greenhaven Correctional Facility in Dutchess County, NY. Although I was working on an individual basis with the men there, Lamb's book motivated me to take a new path with my students at Greenhaven. He inspired me to help the men write their own "stories" about their lives. I also own Lamb's second book, I'LL FLY AWAY and have read portions of it to my classes. One of my students encouraged me to write a personal letter to one of the women in the book. She is the author of "A Gift". For the last year now, we have been corresponding and I have visited her 4 times. She has one of the longest sentences at York: 50 years with no chance of parole. I think what Lamb has accomplished in publishing these two remarkable books is to educate people like us about women like those at York. They have made some poor choices but they are also victims themselves--in many cases of horrific abuse in all its forms. I am proud to own these books and Lamb mailed me an autographed copy of the second book~encouraging me to continue my work at Greenhaven.

Wally Lamb's Amazing Work

The way Wally captures the ambiguity of the women's various backgrounds and what sets the stage for their almost inevitable foray into prison is insightful, heartbreaking, and thought provoking. He does this with compassion and a firm hand. Loved it.

I'll Fly Away

Wally Lamb has done it again! This shows his compassion for these women along with their chance to do something worthwhile. Well written.

IMPRISONED ELOQUENCE

Wally Lamb is one of those writers that readers wish would write more. But seeing how he spends his time, readers can understand why he isn't pounding away at a keyboard relentlessly. Instead, he is inspiring incarcerated women to reach within themselves, bring forth what they know, and express themselves creatively. The pieces in this second collection are poignant given the circucumstances in which they were written, but hopeful in that they give voice to these neglected women, giving them expression. It is uncertain whether any of them could write as effectively about something outside of their experience or out of their imagination; however, that is not the point. The fact that they are able to be creative with what they do know is enough.

Moving and thought-provoking

Excellent anthology of writing by women in prison who took part in Wally Lamb's writingn classes. Several of the most touching pieces are by young women serving long sentences for crimes committed at very young ages. Great reading for anyone interested in social justice issues.