Jennifer Gonnerman

A groundbreaking work of reportage on the hidden consequences of America's prison boom Life On the Outside tells the story of Elaine Bartlett, who spent sixteen-years in Bedford Hills prison for selling cocaine- a first offense under New York's harsh Rockefeller drug laws. The book opens on the morning of January 26, 2000, when she is set free, having received clemency from the governor. At forty-two, Elaine has virtually nothing: no money, no...