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A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison
A powerful debut memoir from a published poet and emerging writer.
At the age of sixteen, R. Dwayne Betts — a good student from a lower-middle-class family — carjacked a man with a friend. He had never held a gun before, but within a matter of minutes he had committed six felonies. In Virginia, carjacking is a “certifiable” offense, meaning that Dwayne would be treated as an adult under state law. A bright young kid, weighing only 126 pounds — not enough to fill out a medium T-shirt — he served his eight-year sentence as part of the adult population in some of the worst prisons in the state.
“A Question of Freedom” is a coming-of-age story, with the unique twist that it takes place in prison. Utterly alone — and with the growing realization that he really is not going home any time soon — Dwayne confronts profound questions about violence, freedom, crime, race, and the justice system. Above all, “A Question of Freedom” is about a quest for identity — one that guarantees Dwayne’s survival in a hostile environment and that incorporates an understanding of how his own past led to the moment of his crime.
At the age of sixteen, R. Dwayne Betts — a good student from a lower-middle-class family — carjacked a man with a friend. He had never held a gun before, but within a matter of minutes he had committed six felonies. In Virginia, carjacking is a “certifiable” offense, meaning that Dwayne would be treated as an adult under state law. A bright young kid, weighing only 126 pounds — not enough to fill out a medium T-shirt — he served his eight-year sentence as part of the adult population in some of the worst prisons in the state.
“A Question of Freedom” is a coming-of-age story, with the unique twist that it takes place in prison. Utterly alone — and with the growing realization that he really is not going home any time soon — Dwayne confronts profound questions about violence, freedom, crime, race, and the justice system. Above all, “A Question of Freedom” is about a quest for identity — one that guarantees Dwayne’s survival in a hostile environment and that incorporates an understanding of how his own past led to the moment of his crime.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
59 people are currently reading
1477 people want to read
About the author
Reginald Dwayne Betts
24 books234 followersReginald Dwayne Betts is a poet, essayist, and national spokesperson for the Campaign for Youth Justice. He writes and lectures about the impact of mass incarceration on American society. He is the author of three collections of poetry, Felon, Bastards of the Reagan Era, and Shahid Reads His Own Palm, as well as a memoir, A Question of Freedom. A graduate of Yale Law School, he lives in New Haven, Connecticut, with his wife and their two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
June 6, 2010
Based on journals kept while in prison, this is a powerful chronicle of eight years in prison, beginning at the age of 16. In Betts's words, "This book is a confession of what it was like to be in prison. It is about hoping that there can be more moments when people who have scarred themselves, their families and society can be given the space to redeem themselves. It is the story of the thirty minutes it took for me to shatter my life into the memory of one cell after another, and the cost of walking away from a bad idea a minute too late."
Betts makes and accepts no excuses for the act that resulted in his incarceration, choosing to represent only what he knows for himself. And in that representation he offers an understated indictment of a system that is at best inequitable, at worst institutionalized racism, and always built on fear.
Betts makes and accepts no excuses for the act that resulted in his incarceration, choosing to represent only what he knows for himself. And in that representation he offers an understated indictment of a system that is at best inequitable, at worst institutionalized racism, and always built on fear.
August 4, 2015
This is a different kind of prison memoir. Literary, lyrical and philosophical. R. Dwayne Betts was an above average student in the lower middle class close-in Washington D.C. suburb of Suitland Md. Somehow one day he thought it would be a good idea to go over to Virginia and carjack a sleeping white man. He really never explains exactly why he did it other than the impulsiveness of youth. Betts was 16 years old and carried a gun in the commission of this crime.
Betts doesn't concentrate of the crime nor the daily injustices meted out by the prison system. None of the daily gore and degradation one would expect in a prison story. What he does is serve up an indictment against a juvenile justice system, one of the only in the industrialized world, that send its juveniles, kids barely out of puberty, into prisons with adults. That everyone knows that such a system can never rehabilitate but only create hardened professional inmate/criminals is a given. That 98 percent of these child prisoners are Black and poor is also a given. How can we warehouse children, some who are in for non-violent drug crimes, in institutions that provide only hopelessness and despair and call ourselves a civilized society?
Betts elevates this book from the typical by writing in a unique, poetic voice. It was through writing and books that he was able to transcend his prison life. He asks question of himself and the reader. How could he have allowed himself to be put behind bars to grow into adulthood in prison. How could we as a society have in place a clearly and unequivocally racist system that locks up black and poor children with adults.
Betts doesn't concentrate of the crime nor the daily injustices meted out by the prison system. None of the daily gore and degradation one would expect in a prison story. What he does is serve up an indictment against a juvenile justice system, one of the only in the industrialized world, that send its juveniles, kids barely out of puberty, into prisons with adults. That everyone knows that such a system can never rehabilitate but only create hardened professional inmate/criminals is a given. That 98 percent of these child prisoners are Black and poor is also a given. How can we warehouse children, some who are in for non-violent drug crimes, in institutions that provide only hopelessness and despair and call ourselves a civilized society?
Betts elevates this book from the typical by writing in a unique, poetic voice. It was through writing and books that he was able to transcend his prison life. He asks question of himself and the reader. How could he have allowed himself to be put behind bars to grow into adulthood in prison. How could we as a society have in place a clearly and unequivocally racist system that locks up black and poor children with adults.
March 6, 2021
This is one of the better prison memoirs I’ve read, though the genre often leaves much give be desired for me. Betts writes beautifully. The book loses direction throughout, which feels more like and editing issue than writing, but overall it’s good.
December 31, 2015
I was intrigued about the author after hearing an interview with him on NPR. I visit inmates on a regular basis as a pastor, and found something compelling in his interview. I was not as enchanted with the book. I would say it shows moments of his being a poet, and a word smith, but I found myself thinking the book needed to be edited better - tightened and shortened. He jumps around in time in a manner that can be confusing, and sometimes a chapter or a story seem to have no point to them. He does explain this latter complaint a bit at the end of the book - it was how he experienced prison and the story isn't all comprehensible as he admits. Yet, I wanted to know, how and why he got the gun, and I wanted to know that somehow his life had a redeeming value. But he is young and there is more to the story to be lived.
November 23, 2010
What I wanted was a personal, in-depth look at the problems with the juvenile court/prison system. What I got was a self-entitled, almost whiney complaint about how he did something wrong and got punished for it. I got halfway then skipped to the end but still didn't find much redeeming in it. An important topic, but terrible writing.
August 13, 2017
A powerful memoir by a black man who, at age 16, in a terrible moment, carjacked a man and in the process, committed six felonies. Treated as an adult offender, he spends nine years in the Virginia prison system. Fortunately for him, he learns from his crimes and incarceration, and survives.
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July 9, 2021My second memoir in a row, though I didn't plan it that way. This is an immersive narrative that at times reflects the difficulty of making sense of your life and the need to simply throw your thoughts out now and sort them later. This is a tale with such enormous topics at its heart that it's forgivable that it sometimes loses focus or feels scattered. Betts presents an emotionally level assessment of the events that led him to prison, taking the mature approach to show but not judge, while he conveys the absolute heft of being imprisoned. He brings up but doesn't blame society, rap music, his dad, or poverty for his eventual imprisonment. He does lament that the knowledge he acquired as a gifted and talented reader and writer didn't steer him away from prison. But it has clearly allowed him to succeed beyond prison.
The big takeaways from this text are that being a lifelong learner is one of the keys to life and that you have to being emotionally honest at all times. We see Betts constantly wanting to learn, whether it's Spanish, Law, or how to interact with people from other walks of life. Which has allowed him to achieve his status in the face of major obstacles. He achieves the "rehabilitation" that the justice system fails to provide by putting in the independent study himself. We also see him being emotionally honest and aware of himself in order to survive his imprisonment and lamenting that he wasn't able to be open enough in his letters to a cousin to prevent that cousin from following a similar path to prison.
This is a complex text that takes the high road when it could easily blame a corrupt, racist system that incarcerates black men at disproportionate rates than any other demographic. Betts faces his guilt and lets you see who he is, while also presenting the system as it is. It's a powerful read that has been on my mind since finishing a few days ago.
The big takeaways from this text are that being a lifelong learner is one of the keys to life and that you have to being emotionally honest at all times. We see Betts constantly wanting to learn, whether it's Spanish, Law, or how to interact with people from other walks of life. Which has allowed him to achieve his status in the face of major obstacles. He achieves the "rehabilitation" that the justice system fails to provide by putting in the independent study himself. We also see him being emotionally honest and aware of himself in order to survive his imprisonment and lamenting that he wasn't able to be open enough in his letters to a cousin to prevent that cousin from following a similar path to prison.
This is a complex text that takes the high road when it could easily blame a corrupt, racist system that incarcerates black men at disproportionate rates than any other demographic. Betts faces his guilt and lets you see who he is, while also presenting the system as it is. It's a powerful read that has been on my mind since finishing a few days ago.
November 27, 2018
A Question of Freedom is a herky-jerky read. Author R Dwayne Betts often has difficulty staying on target for the duration of a paragraph, let alone a chapter, thus the book flits about from non-sequitur to non-sequitur.
But the book has value as a read. Here are the main takeaways:
1. Prison sucks.
2. You can be a genuinely good person with a track record of good behavior, on a path to success. You can see yourself as a good person and a good student, the last person in the world who would end up in jail. But if you commit a crime in 5 minutes of teenaged insanity, it can cost you 9 years of your life.
2a. This is more true for a black man than a white man
2b. Prison is filled with black men. Yes, there are whites and hispanics and Asians, but it is filled with black men.
4. You cannot conceive of how awful prison is until you are there. Prison sucks.
4a. Yet there are positive moments. Not many, but they are there. To wit:
"One day I was standing in the property room. A dude stood in line in front of me reading a book in Spanish. I didn't ask him his name, just if he was Hispanic. He told me no. Told me that he'd taught himself. It was like walking into a little miracle. Even though every day I was seeing things that I wouldn't write home about, things that weren't inspiring me in any way, there were moments that made me pause. This young black dude had taught himself Spanish because he wanted to learn. I found those moments when I walked to the rec yard or to the cafeteria. They were few and far between but I found them."
5. Prison sucks.
It's not the best book. You don't have to read it. But it is important that Mr. Betts got out of jail and wrote it, and thus I'm happy to have read it.
But the book has value as a read. Here are the main takeaways:
1. Prison sucks.
2. You can be a genuinely good person with a track record of good behavior, on a path to success. You can see yourself as a good person and a good student, the last person in the world who would end up in jail. But if you commit a crime in 5 minutes of teenaged insanity, it can cost you 9 years of your life.
2a. This is more true for a black man than a white man
2b. Prison is filled with black men. Yes, there are whites and hispanics and Asians, but it is filled with black men.
4. You cannot conceive of how awful prison is until you are there. Prison sucks.
4a. Yet there are positive moments. Not many, but they are there. To wit:
"One day I was standing in the property room. A dude stood in line in front of me reading a book in Spanish. I didn't ask him his name, just if he was Hispanic. He told me no. Told me that he'd taught himself. It was like walking into a little miracle. Even though every day I was seeing things that I wouldn't write home about, things that weren't inspiring me in any way, there were moments that made me pause. This young black dude had taught himself Spanish because he wanted to learn. I found those moments when I walked to the rec yard or to the cafeteria. They were few and far between but I found them."
5. Prison sucks.
It's not the best book. You don't have to read it. But it is important that Mr. Betts got out of jail and wrote it, and thus I'm happy to have read it.
August 11, 2018
This memoir was recommended by the dean of students at my daughter's university. She gave it such glowing praise; I had high hopes. Unfortunately, as other reviewers have stated, this memoir could have benefited from better editing. The story was told without regard to chronology and was a bit confusing when people who went by the same names were discussed.
The underlying sense of overcoming one's environment was very strong and spoke to the ability to rise above and the importance of varied reading to attain a broader world view.
The underlying sense of overcoming one's environment was very strong and spoke to the ability to rise above and the importance of varied reading to attain a broader world view.
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April 19, 2024 Jackson 1
Dante-marc Jackson
Professor McDermott
Introduction to Literature
18, April 2024
Book Review: “A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of
Age in Prison”
A 240-page story which embodies many thematic concepts ranging some examples would be racial prejudice, a flawed justice system, the influence of literature and the love of a mother. The author, Reginald Dwayne Betts creates an autobiography of a rather dark and life-changing period of his life. He talks about his failed attempt at carjacking a white man and after he was caught and arrest by the police, he had managed to rack up several different felonies and was sentenced to serve nine years in prison (Kugler). During his stay in prison, he had met a diverse range of individuals from varying racial backgrounds and reasons as to why they were in prison. In the beginning of the book, he tried to shed himself of any accountability to how he had ended up in prison but as the story progressed, he began to change and not only did he took full responsibility for the choices he had made which landed him in prison but he had also decided that instead of becoming bitter and resentful, he would turn himself into a better person. He most certainly did as through the several works of literature he had read for example poetry like Rita Dove, Etheridge Knight, Yusef Komunyakaa (Preston) which undoubtedly helped foster his love for literature. Dwanye Betts had managed to transform himself from a misguided immature sixteen year to a responsible and mature young man. A chapter that could best represent a
Jackson 2
moment of catharsis for Mr. Betts was “Every Admission Amounts to This.” In this chapter he talks at length about all the good his mother has done for him especially ever since his dad had walked out of his life. He had mentioned many times throughout the book how he felt shame and guilt for breaking his mother’s heart and how she was part of the reason why he had change into a better person in prison, because he wanted to be someone his mother could be proud of (Betts, Avery 230-231). This dream had indeed come to fruition because Mr. Betts is now a published poet, author and lawyer (Stone) who through the national nonprofit Freedom Reads organization that he founded had installing 160 libraries in 27 prisons across nine states (Stone). This achievement is in continuation of his mission to stock over 1,000 prison libraries with life changing literature through his Million Book Project (Preston). Funnily enough one of the themes of the book, which was race, is that Mr. Betts had mentioned on multiple occasions throughout the book how he believed the white police officers and judges were prejudicial towards him because he was black, yet it was only after interacting with some Latino inmates did, he noticed that he held similar negative stereotypes about them in his own mind. Talk about irony. This book was undoubtedly a good read, not the greatest of the year type material but a good read honestly.
Personally, I loved this book because it taught me an important lesson in how one poor life decision has the potential to ruin your whole future and while in some cases you may be given a second chance, these are often rare. I truly believe this is an important lesson many should learn especially the youth because one of life’s worst tragedies is someone’s life being over before it had even had the chance to begin.
Jackson 3
Work Cited Page
Kugler, R. Anthony. "Betts Dwayne R. 1979(?)–." Contemporary Black Biography, edited by Margaret Mazurkiewicz, vol. 86, Gale, 2011, pp. 10-12. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX1908600011/G.... Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Preston, Rohan, “Talking Volumes: Poetry Led Him From Jail to Yale Law,” Star Tribune, March 7, 2021, pp. E.1, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/t.... Accessed 18, April 2024
Gavin, Stone. “Ex-inmate's Goal: Break Down Barriers to Reading, Betts Installs 500-book 'Freedom Libraries' in Chesapeake prisons,” Daily Press. June 5, 2023. pp A.2, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/t.... Accessed 17, April 2024
Preston, Rohan, “Talking Volumes: Poetry Led Him From Jail to Yale Law,” Star Tribune, March 7, 2021, pp. E.1, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/e.... Accessed 17, April 2024
Betts, Reginald Dwayne, A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison. Avery: New York. 2009
title: A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison
author: Reginald Dwayne Betts
place:
publisher: Avery
publication date: August 6, 2009
edition: kindle
pages: 256 pages
price: $4.99
ISBN: 9781583333488
Dante-marc Jackson
Professor McDermott
Introduction to Literature
18, April 2024
Book Review: “A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of
Age in Prison”
A 240-page story which embodies many thematic concepts ranging some examples would be racial prejudice, a flawed justice system, the influence of literature and the love of a mother. The author, Reginald Dwayne Betts creates an autobiography of a rather dark and life-changing period of his life. He talks about his failed attempt at carjacking a white man and after he was caught and arrest by the police, he had managed to rack up several different felonies and was sentenced to serve nine years in prison (Kugler). During his stay in prison, he had met a diverse range of individuals from varying racial backgrounds and reasons as to why they were in prison. In the beginning of the book, he tried to shed himself of any accountability to how he had ended up in prison but as the story progressed, he began to change and not only did he took full responsibility for the choices he had made which landed him in prison but he had also decided that instead of becoming bitter and resentful, he would turn himself into a better person. He most certainly did as through the several works of literature he had read for example poetry like Rita Dove, Etheridge Knight, Yusef Komunyakaa (Preston) which undoubtedly helped foster his love for literature. Dwanye Betts had managed to transform himself from a misguided immature sixteen year to a responsible and mature young man. A chapter that could best represent a
Jackson 2
moment of catharsis for Mr. Betts was “Every Admission Amounts to This.” In this chapter he talks at length about all the good his mother has done for him especially ever since his dad had walked out of his life. He had mentioned many times throughout the book how he felt shame and guilt for breaking his mother’s heart and how she was part of the reason why he had change into a better person in prison, because he wanted to be someone his mother could be proud of (Betts, Avery 230-231). This dream had indeed come to fruition because Mr. Betts is now a published poet, author and lawyer (Stone) who through the national nonprofit Freedom Reads organization that he founded had installing 160 libraries in 27 prisons across nine states (Stone). This achievement is in continuation of his mission to stock over 1,000 prison libraries with life changing literature through his Million Book Project (Preston). Funnily enough one of the themes of the book, which was race, is that Mr. Betts had mentioned on multiple occasions throughout the book how he believed the white police officers and judges were prejudicial towards him because he was black, yet it was only after interacting with some Latino inmates did, he noticed that he held similar negative stereotypes about them in his own mind. Talk about irony. This book was undoubtedly a good read, not the greatest of the year type material but a good read honestly.
Personally, I loved this book because it taught me an important lesson in how one poor life decision has the potential to ruin your whole future and while in some cases you may be given a second chance, these are often rare. I truly believe this is an important lesson many should learn especially the youth because one of life’s worst tragedies is someone’s life being over before it had even had the chance to begin.
Jackson 3
Work Cited Page
Kugler, R. Anthony. "Betts Dwayne R. 1979(?)–." Contemporary Black Biography, edited by Margaret Mazurkiewicz, vol. 86, Gale, 2011, pp. 10-12. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX1908600011/G.... Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Preston, Rohan, “Talking Volumes: Poetry Led Him From Jail to Yale Law,” Star Tribune, March 7, 2021, pp. E.1, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/t.... Accessed 18, April 2024
Gavin, Stone. “Ex-inmate's Goal: Break Down Barriers to Reading, Betts Installs 500-book 'Freedom Libraries' in Chesapeake prisons,” Daily Press. June 5, 2023. pp A.2, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/t.... Accessed 17, April 2024
Preston, Rohan, “Talking Volumes: Poetry Led Him From Jail to Yale Law,” Star Tribune, March 7, 2021, pp. E.1, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/e.... Accessed 17, April 2024
Betts, Reginald Dwayne, A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison. Avery: New York. 2009
title: A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison
author: Reginald Dwayne Betts
place:
publisher: Avery
publication date: August 6, 2009
edition: kindle
pages: 256 pages
price: $4.99
ISBN: 9781583333488
January 28, 2016
I recently heard an interview with this author on NPR and was inspired to read this 2009 memoir of his years in prison. He is a beautiful and perceptive writer and I was alternately horrified, inspired, and saddened at his story. He has now published several books of poetry and is a student at Yale Law School. He was able to take a bad mistake and somehow learn and grow from it in very harsh circumstances. I hope to read more by him in the future.
January 5, 2020
2 out of 5 stars.
Perspective without insight. While the author’s story may be an incredible journey of personal discovery this memoir doesn’t ever move beyond setting. There’s nothing really to take way than the premise that is written on the cover. The author is also a published poet and that style of language shows (and potentially detracts from this experience. And while there are moments of beautiful writing the repetition of those phrases and moments weakens their use.
Perspective without insight. While the author’s story may be an incredible journey of personal discovery this memoir doesn’t ever move beyond setting. There’s nothing really to take way than the premise that is written on the cover. The author is also a published poet and that style of language shows (and potentially detracts from this experience. And while there are moments of beautiful writing the repetition of those phrases and moments weakens their use.
November 6, 2020
It avoids the expected platitudes and gets to the author's experience without cliché.
On reread, it's even better! My ignorance of some of the terms (prison vs. jail) got in my way on the first read and it seemed non-linear. That's on me.
On reread, it's even better! My ignorance of some of the terms (prison vs. jail) got in my way on the first read and it seemed non-linear. That's on me.
August 19, 2018
I was irritated reading through most of this book by the lack of organization. I see other reviewers shared by view. I started skimming about a quarter way in. But I was still intrigued by the author's viewpoint. Clearly Mr. Betts is in love with words and lets them spew forth as they will. About three quarters of the way through the book I came to the conclusion that much of it was "stream of conscious" and the disorganization may have been intentional. Mr. Betts may have been showing that throughout his eight years in prison, he didn't know what to think. He couldn't organize his thoughts. His brain was firing in all sorts of directions just trying to do his time and survive. That makes me wonder how many others in prison are lost, wandering in their thoughts and what our society can do to help. Clearly books were his savior as well as the high value upbringing he had from his mother.
I think we as a society are missing a great opportunity in our prison system. These people are captive audiences and we should take full advantage of that. Constructive activities like books and classes, whether accredited or not, should be readily available to all. Our fellow incarcerated citizens have brains and bodies being wasted. Restriction of freedom is a huge punishment, we should find a way to offer learning, self esteem, and recognition of potential to all inmates. If they decide not to avail themselves of opportunities offered, ok, but it should not stop us from trying our best. Mr. Betts shows the current system does very little substantive to help.
I think we as a society are missing a great opportunity in our prison system. These people are captive audiences and we should take full advantage of that. Constructive activities like books and classes, whether accredited or not, should be readily available to all. Our fellow incarcerated citizens have brains and bodies being wasted. Restriction of freedom is a huge punishment, we should find a way to offer learning, self esteem, and recognition of potential to all inmates. If they decide not to avail themselves of opportunities offered, ok, but it should not stop us from trying our best. Mr. Betts shows the current system does very little substantive to help.
September 26, 2022
When Dwayne Betts was sixteen years old, he was taking honors classes and on track to go to college. Then one night he and a buddy decided to carjack a white man at a mall. For a joyride. With a gun. He was sentenced to nine years in the adult prison system including one maximum security prison where they needed to fill beds. This memoir describes his time in the prison system and how he managed to survive mentally and physically.
What struck me most about this book is that Betts never makes excuses for his actions - the fact of his race, that his absentee dad was also in prison, that he grew up with boys who also ended up in the system. It does confirm institutional racism and also blows the stereotypes off the intelligence of those in prison. Betts devoured books in prison. He also learned how to make a knife and went to solitary confinement - “the hole” - many times because he tried to fight back against how he was treated.
He wrote the book for his mother to know what happened to him inside. He went years without seeing her. He is a gifted poet and writer who went on to help boys through a nonprofit learn his love of books. He goes to college and Yale law school he got married and had a kid. But this is not that story.
I am grateful for this book 📖 to help me better understand the prison system in our country. And the bias in sentencing against men of color. I believe In Justice AND redemption. Please read this book!
What struck me most about this book is that Betts never makes excuses for his actions - the fact of his race, that his absentee dad was also in prison, that he grew up with boys who also ended up in the system. It does confirm institutional racism and also blows the stereotypes off the intelligence of those in prison. Betts devoured books in prison. He also learned how to make a knife and went to solitary confinement - “the hole” - many times because he tried to fight back against how he was treated.
He wrote the book for his mother to know what happened to him inside. He went years without seeing her. He is a gifted poet and writer who went on to help boys through a nonprofit learn his love of books. He goes to college and Yale law school he got married and had a kid. But this is not that story.
I am grateful for this book 📖 to help me better understand the prison system in our country. And the bias in sentencing against men of color. I believe In Justice AND redemption. Please read this book!
March 30, 2020
What I found compelling in Betts’ account of his crime and punishment was the balance he presents between identifying how unjust the system is, with his personal acceptance of accountability for the impulsive act and anger that led him to commit a crime that damaged not just him, and his victim, but other members of Betts’ family, particularly his mother. The book not only shows us what it is like to face the challenges of prison life, but is a caution to others of what it means to lose control and the high price that is paid--the day-to-day navigating of the paradoxical need for companionship and protection within the prison world and the challenge of avoiding physical violence that can be visited upon an inmate or that can result in more time added to a sentence if he retaliates. In the end you find yourself not only confirmed in your belief that the prison system is indicative of the injustice in America, stacked as it is against black offenders, but ultimately inspired by Betts’ maturation in prison, his rising above self-defeating resentment and anger to educate himself and emerge as an important voice for anyone who cares about the pursuit of a just America. It is well worth the effort to adjust to Betts’ story telling style, where reflection predominates over detailed narrative at times.
February 23, 2018
Everyone should read this book. In particular, anyone who has anything to do with the judicial system should read this book. This is the story of an intelligent young man who spent many of his formative years for a felony he admitted to committing. (And if you don't think he is intelligent, he fought for the right to take the bar exam to become a lawyer and now has a Ph.D. from Yale Law school.)
This book will make you uncomfortable. That's good for you. It sure made me uncomfortable. But it made me think. I've always tended to side with maximum punishment for crimes. But I read this book because of cherished memories of my students at the alternative school. And now I wonder if prison would have helped them at all or if it would just hurt them more. Mental health is important. Anger management skills are important. Teaching children a love for learning is important. These are the things that will juveniles out of prison. And if you think race issues in America are fake? Read this book. It opened my eyes to a lot that I didn't see because, yes, I have white privilege. I hope to one day meet this author. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time. Thank you Dr. Betts, for opening my eyes.
This book will make you uncomfortable. That's good for you. It sure made me uncomfortable. But it made me think. I've always tended to side with maximum punishment for crimes. But I read this book because of cherished memories of my students at the alternative school. And now I wonder if prison would have helped them at all or if it would just hurt them more. Mental health is important. Anger management skills are important. Teaching children a love for learning is important. These are the things that will juveniles out of prison. And if you think race issues in America are fake? Read this book. It opened my eyes to a lot that I didn't see because, yes, I have white privilege. I hope to one day meet this author. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time. Thank you Dr. Betts, for opening my eyes.
February 10, 2022
Reginald Dwayne Betts gets involved as a young teen with a group of young men committing an armed robbery of a man in an automobile. And sentenced to 9 years in prison. Due to the machinations of the Virgnia penal system, eventually he is sent far away from family to the hardest, high security prison Red Onion. He's not a high risk, high violence prisoner and he's too young but for whatever reason (probably financial) he's sent there and spends a lot of time in solitary. Despite the brutal treatment and too-young age to be in a "supermax' facility, where there is no education, and barely any outside-the-cell permission, he gets his GED and becomes a poet.
His poetry is good. It is published--and on his release, he continued writing. And teaching.
A famous poet and novelist, Marge Piercy, commented once that if she had to pick one, poetry or novels, she would pick writing poetry because it's portable, can be memorized or scratched on a scrap of paper. Concentrated into fewer words, poetry is the art form of many prisoners over the centuries. Betts shows the strength of the human spirit against brutality and making a snap bad judgment that has lasting and lengthy consequences. A must-read.
His poetry is good. It is published--and on his release, he continued writing. And teaching.
A famous poet and novelist, Marge Piercy, commented once that if she had to pick one, poetry or novels, she would pick writing poetry because it's portable, can be memorized or scratched on a scrap of paper. Concentrated into fewer words, poetry is the art form of many prisoners over the centuries. Betts shows the strength of the human spirit against brutality and making a snap bad judgment that has lasting and lengthy consequences. A must-read.
April 5, 2020
What can save a man, once he finds himself in prison?
“A Question of Freedom,” is Dwayne Bett’s firsthand account of being in the prison system at the age of 16. We follow Betts through a nine-year prison sentence, we see him wrestle with identity, survival, religion and prejudice. See how isolation, books and writing saved a man’s life.
(Book 18 of 100) This book was chosen by “The Best Book Club Ever!” to read before the 51st Annual UND Writers Conference. Sadly, the conference had to be canceled due to “the virus that should not be named”! This book wants you to question how the prison system operates. I think we NEED to change it. The foul living conditions and abuse is something no person should endure. As a society, we need to reach at-risk students at a young age to ensure they DO NOT end up in prison. I was surprised how some prisoners took it upon themselves to be mentors to younger inmates and looked out for their wellbeing. I give this book a 3/5-star rating. While this story has raw truth, it was a bit disorganized, making it difficult to read at times. If you like reading true stories about prison and people turning their life around, this is for you.
“A Question of Freedom,” is Dwayne Bett’s firsthand account of being in the prison system at the age of 16. We follow Betts through a nine-year prison sentence, we see him wrestle with identity, survival, religion and prejudice. See how isolation, books and writing saved a man’s life.
(Book 18 of 100) This book was chosen by “The Best Book Club Ever!” to read before the 51st Annual UND Writers Conference. Sadly, the conference had to be canceled due to “the virus that should not be named”! This book wants you to question how the prison system operates. I think we NEED to change it. The foul living conditions and abuse is something no person should endure. As a society, we need to reach at-risk students at a young age to ensure they DO NOT end up in prison. I was surprised how some prisoners took it upon themselves to be mentors to younger inmates and looked out for their wellbeing. I give this book a 3/5-star rating. While this story has raw truth, it was a bit disorganized, making it difficult to read at times. If you like reading true stories about prison and people turning their life around, this is for you.
March 16, 2023
I look forward to a future edition of this book (now 24 years old: about the age Mr. Betts was when he left prison?), with an update by the author. Hopefully he would share his insights on prison reform—or the lack thereof—and his wisdom gained from promoting reading.
Even more compelling: what has Mr. Betts learned about restorative justice? Recent research and practices have been instrumental in many communities. Certainly in Northern Ireland and South Africa, but also in the U.S. (See the documentary film “Tribal Justice” by Makepeace Productions about restorative justice initiatives among indigenous communities.)
Betts acknowledges the unwanted link between the victim and the perpetrator. It’s never too late to heal the past, right? Healing doesn’t un-do what happened. But people (like Nelson Mandela) have argued that a healing is possible, and important to all involved. Please look into this and write another Epilogue to this book.
Even more compelling: what has Mr. Betts learned about restorative justice? Recent research and practices have been instrumental in many communities. Certainly in Northern Ireland and South Africa, but also in the U.S. (See the documentary film “Tribal Justice” by Makepeace Productions about restorative justice initiatives among indigenous communities.)
Betts acknowledges the unwanted link between the victim and the perpetrator. It’s never too late to heal the past, right? Healing doesn’t un-do what happened. But people (like Nelson Mandela) have argued that a healing is possible, and important to all involved. Please look into this and write another Epilogue to this book.
April 11, 2018
This book hits home, it gives me a glimpse, and understanding to what a family member lives through daily. Mr. Betts paints an image of a young man who made a mistake and choice to take back his life. He has painted an image of what it was like for a young man in prison, in that image he shows us what it is like for the older gentlemen in prison, and how our youth is getting more time than necessary for a bad choice. How our justice system looks at the color of a person’s skin, their living environment and then their crime when sentencing. I wish Mr. Betts the best and to thank him for allowing us inside the justice system especially the parts of that system we don’t see first-hand unless you are on the inside doing time.
Full book review can be found at: https://proudbookjunky.blogspot.com/2...
Full book review can be found at: https://proudbookjunky.blogspot.com/2...
October 10, 2022
4.5 stars. The memoir of a black man who at 16 was tried as an adult and sentenced to 9 years for carjacking, this is a lucid and insightful examination of the criminal system, less about guilt and more about punishment, about the essential values of retributive justice, about the racial demographics of prisons and the way incarceration cycles inmates back through the system, about attempting to serve time despite those odds. These are things I already understood in broad strokes, but I benefitted from internalizing them via memoir, not as statistics (although Betts's experiences are statistically unremarkable) but as a person. Betts's voice, with his background in poetry, is fluid and compelling.
March 8, 2022
I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Betts when he came to perform a reading at my undergrad, and I was deeply moved by his words and presence.
"A Question of Freedom" is a thought-provoking, captivating, and heart-wrenching story, made all the more powerful by Betts' sincere, raw words. His voice is both vulnerable and reflective, seeming to seek out answers through the retelling of his experiences. Just like with any large scale atrocities, the statistics and numbers are cold and feel too distant to truly impact others. It is the singular experience, the personal and intimate, like what Betts rights here, that helps humanize the numbers and enable others to understand.
"A Question of Freedom" is a thought-provoking, captivating, and heart-wrenching story, made all the more powerful by Betts' sincere, raw words. His voice is both vulnerable and reflective, seeming to seek out answers through the retelling of his experiences. Just like with any large scale atrocities, the statistics and numbers are cold and feel too distant to truly impact others. It is the singular experience, the personal and intimate, like what Betts rights here, that helps humanize the numbers and enable others to understand.
April 5, 2023
A memoir of life in the VA prison system is especially moving since the inmate was a juvenile incarcerated with adults for 9 years for carjacking where he had held a gun but had never ever fired one and had been an AP physics student. Descriptions of how he negotiated the violence that is our prison environment and found some relief in solitary confinement where he read extensively, no thanks to the prison system but to other inmates and a few individuals, like the rare librarian. One recognizes that punishment is the goal, not rehabilitation. Any rehabilitation is a force of the individual over this horribly broken system.
June 28, 2022
It was fine and I’m glad I read it. I had never taken the time to really understand the experience of being in prison, so I’m happy I was able to begin to understand this via this book. But someone’s time in prison is hard to convert into a compelling story. I found myself counting the number of pages I had left many times. Betts is a poet so I expected this book to be poetic, and it was at times, but not in ways that really moved me. Would recommend if you want to better understand the trauma of imprisonment, but not if you want a profound page-turner.
June 8, 2021
There are so many prison memoirs out there that it has easily become its own sub-genre. So, how does one distinguish their prison story from everyone else’s? In this poignant, but uneven, memoir, Mr. Betts takes us into prison as well as into the mind and heart of a teenager whose transition from boy to man happens behind bars.
For my full review, check out my book blog here.
For my full review, check out my book blog here.
August 11, 2022
Interesting read … a memoir written from journal notes. I read it from the mindset of an educator of Mr Betts population from an urban area. Know “him” well. Smart, caught up in a bad moment and without the means to avoid the hard consequences versus some other option.
Others commented on the writing and flow however it is a good read if open minded to accepting it as his experience.
Try his poetry as well.
Others commented on the writing and flow however it is a good read if open minded to accepting it as his experience.
Try his poetry as well.
March 12, 2023
A good, well-written story of a man who, like many of us, made a mistake in his youth and paid for it with (too) many years in prison. Betts became a better man for it, making his story a glowing example of determination and resilience, a guy I'd like to meet in person. I only awarded four stars because it seemed to drag a bit towards the end, but maybe that was me. All in all, a very worthwhile read.
October 2, 2024
I had to read this really fast for class so there were parts that were a little lost on me where I felt that he was jumping between moments, but I felt it was more an editing issue than a writing issue. His writing was beautiful and sad and frustrating all at the same time and it felt different than other prison memoirs I’ve read in a good way. Inspiring and crushing at the same time, glad I read it!!
November 29, 2025
This book was recommended to me by someone I’d consider a career idol, and it delivered. The constant unrest and ebb and flow of this book is a phenomenal representation of the prison system and Betts experience. He battles with taking accountability and being unfairly punished. His thirst for knowledge and companionship and the bleak violence of his surroundings. The journey of a young black man in the prison system of America that is entangled with philosophical questions.
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