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Never to Surrender!: 22 Years in Solitary—The Battle for My Soul in a U.S. Prison
“...a remarkable story of suffering, but also of resilience...powerful evidence that long-term isolation is torture.”
—Juan E. Mendez, Ph.D., Professor of Human Rights in Residence, Washington College of Law, and Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture
“...a gut-wrenching tale where solitary confinement is used to torture and destroy what is left in a person who is trying to survive prison—and the people who run it.”
—Karen Gedney, M.D., author of 30 Years Behind Trials of a Prison Doctor
When eighteen-year-old Frank De Palma tried to avenge the senseless killing of his beloved dog, he landed in the courtroom of a hang ’em high judge. Though no one had died or even been injured by his action, he was sentenced to ten years in the Nevada State Prison, with a release in two years for good behavior.
Determined to do his time and go home, he quickly learned it wasn’t that simple and was thrust into “kill or be killed” situations that ultimately tacked four decades onto his sentence. During this time, he was placed in a solitary confinement cell, where it would be twenty-two years and thirty-six days before he would again see the light of day.
Never to Surrender! 22 Years in The Battle for My Soul in a U.S. Prison is an astounding story of justice run amok, of the casual corruption and depravity inside prison walls, but mostly, it is the story of one man’s fierce determination to survive it.
—Juan E. Mendez, Ph.D., Professor of Human Rights in Residence, Washington College of Law, and Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture
“...a gut-wrenching tale where solitary confinement is used to torture and destroy what is left in a person who is trying to survive prison—and the people who run it.”
—Karen Gedney, M.D., author of 30 Years Behind Trials of a Prison Doctor
When eighteen-year-old Frank De Palma tried to avenge the senseless killing of his beloved dog, he landed in the courtroom of a hang ’em high judge. Though no one had died or even been injured by his action, he was sentenced to ten years in the Nevada State Prison, with a release in two years for good behavior.
Determined to do his time and go home, he quickly learned it wasn’t that simple and was thrust into “kill or be killed” situations that ultimately tacked four decades onto his sentence. During this time, he was placed in a solitary confinement cell, where it would be twenty-two years and thirty-six days before he would again see the light of day.
Never to Surrender! 22 Years in The Battle for My Soul in a U.S. Prison is an astounding story of justice run amok, of the casual corruption and depravity inside prison walls, but mostly, it is the story of one man’s fierce determination to survive it.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 24, 2024
This is a tough but important book. It illustrates the immense shortfalls and injustices of the American justice system. It’s clear that the focus is solely on punishment and not on reform, not even for a 18-year old. I’ve heard before that you enter prison as a low level offender and become so mixed up with prison culture, gangs, corrupt correctional officers and wardens, that you end up a criminal. That’s what happened to Frank de Palma, imprisoned at age 18. Devastatingly, he never had a chance.
This sent shivers down my spine: “the years of being immersed in violence, of expecting to die every single day, does something to a person. You can’t exist in an abnormal environment without becoming abnormal, yourself.”
Why was he thrown in with older, hardened criminals, and not offered any counseling, therapy, any schooling? He got his GED and high school diploma in prison when he was around 60. Why weren't those offered to him when he was first imprisoned? Doesn’t everyone, especially someone so young, deserve that? The system failed him. He writes: “As I continued writing, my reflections grew deeper. I tried to understand how it could be that a teen who’d made a rash move when his dog was run over could have spent most of his life in prison as a result. I would never understand it.”
It’s unimaginable what de Palma has been through, 43 years in prison, 22 in solitary confinement. It’s a miracle that he lives to tell his story and that he now seems to be a kind man, who made it his mission to help reform the criminal justice system and abolish solitary confinement. It’s a must read for anyone who cares about other human beings.
This sent shivers down my spine: “the years of being immersed in violence, of expecting to die every single day, does something to a person. You can’t exist in an abnormal environment without becoming abnormal, yourself.”
Why was he thrown in with older, hardened criminals, and not offered any counseling, therapy, any schooling? He got his GED and high school diploma in prison when he was around 60. Why weren't those offered to him when he was first imprisoned? Doesn’t everyone, especially someone so young, deserve that? The system failed him. He writes: “As I continued writing, my reflections grew deeper. I tried to understand how it could be that a teen who’d made a rash move when his dog was run over could have spent most of his life in prison as a result. I would never understand it.”
It’s unimaginable what de Palma has been through, 43 years in prison, 22 in solitary confinement. It’s a miracle that he lives to tell his story and that he now seems to be a kind man, who made it his mission to help reform the criminal justice system and abolish solitary confinement. It’s a must read for anyone who cares about other human beings.
June 28, 2024
Please don’t miss this opportunity to learn about how great Frank suffered and what he overcame!
I love Frank’s honest portrayal of his terrible treatment and abuse in the prison system and his character in overcoming this terrible tragedy.
I am so sorry and yet thankful for his courage and life teaching me so much. I thank you Frank for your service to all of America and the terrible abuse in the prison and many caught up in it.
I love Frank’s honest portrayal of his terrible treatment and abuse in the prison system and his character in overcoming this terrible tragedy.
I am so sorry and yet thankful for his courage and life teaching me so much. I thank you Frank for your service to all of America and the terrible abuse in the prison and many caught up in it.
January 25, 2026
Frank De Palma’s life took a turn toward nothing less than hell when he was sentenced to prison for a minor crime in Nevada.
The awful trials he endured — and the terrible things he did to survive this hell — ended in more than two decades in solitary confinement, the very definition of ‘cruel and unusual punishment.’
But that is not the end of Frank’s story. ‘Never to Surrender’ is ultimately a book of redemption and hope. It’s a compelling book that will stay with you.
The awful trials he endured — and the terrible things he did to survive this hell — ended in more than two decades in solitary confinement, the very definition of ‘cruel and unusual punishment.’
But that is not the end of Frank’s story. ‘Never to Surrender’ is ultimately a book of redemption and hope. It’s a compelling book that will stay with you.
August 3, 2024
What a great book about resilience and overcoming suffering, and the torture of solitary confinement.
One of my best friends actually had the honor to interview Frank De Palma for one of the Reno newspapers and he gifted me this book for my birthday.
One of my best friends actually had the honor to interview Frank De Palma for one of the Reno newspapers and he gifted me this book for my birthday.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews