Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary With the Bard - Dr. Laura Bates Audiobook

Written by Dr. Laura Bates
Read by Cassandra Campbell
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc.
Release date: May 22, 2015
Duration: 07:27:56

A touching story between a Shakespeare professor and a convicted murderer, who bonded over the Bard’s immortal words.

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 world’s 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. In 1992 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. Starting with Richard II, he displays startling moments of empathy with the characters and latches on to many life parallels.

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.

Some reviewers found Dr. Laura a bit tedious and skipped around too much but when the narration focused on Larry Newton, they were enthralled.

From an on-line National Geographic article…
In the SHU group Newton’s critiques were the most trenchant—”Some of his interpretations are being cited in scholarly papers and at conferences,” Bates says proudly—and his change the most profound. He was eventually released from solitary confinement at Wabash, and went on to write a manual to help other inmates read Shakespeare.

“He’s written workbooks for 13 separate plays,” says Bates, “and a synopsis page for 37 plays. I’ve used them with dozens of prisoners—and some of my college classes. Now I just need to find a publisher for Larry’s work.”

Newton is currently housed in Pendleton. Though he and Bates have kept in touch by mail, personal contact is not been granted for some years.

Note - Be aware that there is another writer named Laura Bates. She is a radical British feminist.