Slammer

by Ben Greer

Set in a Carolina state penitentiary, Slammer brings to life a dark, complex world of violent prison systems. Told from the eyes of four of the characters, the reader becomes caught up in the violent tensions that filter throughout the prison. Aaron Walsh is a young prison guard committed to prison reform. Daniel Child's innocence makes him an easy target for perverse attackers. James Moultrie has been involved in the civil rights movement and feels it's his mission to free his brothers from the hold of Shebar, a Muslim who runs the dope and whiskey operations in the prison. And finally, Father Edward Breen is a tough Boston-bred Catholic priest. Each is victimized by his own limited perception, and each contributes knowingly and unknowingly to a general sense of dread that climaxes in a riot. Ben Greer, a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, paid his way through college by working as a prison guard. The author of four novels, a biography, and a screenplay, he is associate professor of English at the University of South Carolina.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1975