''This is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life'' is a non-fiction book about the podcast ''

Ear Hustle ''Ear Hustle'' is a non-fiction podcast about prison life and life after incarceration created by Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, both formerly incarcerated, and Nigel Poor, an artist who volunteers at San Quentin State Prison. In 2016, it ...

'', written by ''Ear Hustle'' co-hosts

Nigel Poor Nigel Poor is an artist and cofounder and co-host of the podcast Ear Hustle. She is co-author of the book '' This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life''. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area. Early life and education Po ...

and

Earlonne Woods Earlonne Woods (born August 13, 1971) is an American podcaster and author, best known for co-hosting and co-founding the podcast ''Ear Hustle'' in 2017, and co-authoring the book '' This Is Ear Hustle'' in 2021. Woods helped create ''Ear Hustle' ...

and published in 2021 by

Crown Publishing Group The Crown Publishing Group is a subsidiary of Penguin Random House that publishes across several fiction and non-fiction categories. Originally founded in 1933 as a remaindered books wholesaler called Outlet Book Company, the firm expanded int ...

. The book both expands on topics covered in the podcast, and also explores new topics that the podcast deliberately avoids, such as the background of the authors. The book received positive reviews.

Content

The book is presented in three parts. The first part, 'Let's Do This', is written in memoir format. It covers Nigel Poor's background and journey to teaching photography at

San Quentin State Prison San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated area, unincorporated place ...

, the circumstances leading to

' incarceration at the prison, and the formation of ''

''. The second section, 'We're Gonna Take You Inside', shares the experiences of other people at San Quentin. Topics discussed include prison marriage, prison race-relations and

three-strikes law In the United States, habitual offender laws (commonly referred to as three-strikes laws) have been implemented since at least 1952, and are part of the United States Justice Department's Anti-Violence Strategy. These laws require a person who ...

s. Topics covered in the third section, 'Inside Out', include Woods journey to getting his sentence commutated in 2018, and the consequences of being unable to continue recording ''Ear Hustle'' in San Quentin during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Some parts of the book have the prose presented in transcript form, and expand on stories originally covered in the podcast with additional context.

Production

Woods stated the COVID-19 pandemic served as a convenient time to work on the book, as San Quentin was on

lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

and both he and Poor were unable to work on the podcast as usual. Transcripts presented in the book were a combination of audio captured for the podcast, and new material gathered specifically for the book. Woods estimated 80% of transcript content was new. The book also served as a way to explore topics the podcast deliberately avoids, such as commenting on policy in regards to three-strikes law, the difficulties faced in starting the podcast, and the background of Woods. Woods and Poor spoke positively of the experience of writing the book; they also voiced their respective sections in the audio-book version. Other voices in the audio-book were a combination of people voicing their own transcripts, and paid actors. Australian author and illustrator Damien Linnane was offered the contract to illustrate the book, after choosing Woods as a subject for an art exhibition where the theme was people who used their time in prison constructively, and tagging him in the portrait on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

Reception

Samantha Schoech from the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' praised the book for expanding on the background story of Woods more than the podcast, and for its impartiality, saying it was "not pro-prisoner or anti-prison; it is staunchly pro-human ... ndis successful precisely because of this." Nimah Gobir from

KQED Inc. KQED Inc. is a non-profit public media outlet based in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, which operates the radio station KQED-FM and the television stations KQED/KQET and KQEH. KQED's main headquarters are located in San Francisco, wh ...

commented that the book expanded on educational opportunities for students already given by the podcast; many educators use ''Ear Hustle'' episodes as springboards for classroom activities. ''

Aperture In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...

'' said the book gave a "poignant narrative" that allowed readers to connect to incarcerated people in "surprisingly relatable ways". Stephanie Sendaula from ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' gave a positive review, saying even those unfamiliar with the podcast would be "absorbed by Poor and Woods’s storytelling", also describing Linnane's illustrations as a highlight of the book.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
2021 non-fiction books Crown Publishing Group books English-language non-fiction books Books about imprisonment