“This will be my last request since I’ll be released on May 30,” a pinned-up sheet of notebook paper reads at Pensacola’s Open Books Bookstore. The words are scribbled in pencil, but written in all caps, likely either for style, emphasis, or penmanship clarity.
“I THANK YOU AND APPRECIATE THE SERVICE YOU’VE PROVIDED FOR ME DURING MY TIME IN JAIL,” is how it actually reads. The next line of the letter follows suit, but this time, it’s underlined.
“WHAT A BEACON OF HOPE!”
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The Montgomery Correctional Center inmate follows the usual formula of the 70-100 letters that are mailed to Open Books weekly. An abundance of gratitude, followed by a wish-list of books to send them.
- National Geographic
- Any other magazine
- Greek mythology
- Astrology
- Self-help
- Science
- Fashion
A top seven list is ambitious. If they’ve written to Open Books before, they know they’re only allowed three books at a time. Maybe a resource pamphlet to make four, but that’s the maximum that most prisons will accept. Plus, the limit keeps it manageable for volunteers. In 2022, Open Books volunteers hand-picked and mailed over 10,000 books to Florida’s jail and prison inmates who requested them.
After the request is made, the matchmaking begins. Volunteers gallivant around the special back corner of the shop reserved for the Prison Book Project funded by the bookstore.
The limited information revealed in the letter serves as an intriguing puzzle for the volunteer to find the perfect books to support the prisoner’s needs, goals and interests.
Even if it’s a seemingly strange request, such as a book on how to take up rabbit farming (which they did succeed in locating a copy) it becomes the volunteer’s steadfast resolve to find it. Other requests carry a graver tone.
“One letter was written by a grandma, and she asked for children's books so she could read to her grandchildren over the phone in prison. All I could think of was, ‘I wonder how long she’s allowed to read over the phone,’” Volunteer Renee Nicholas said. “It’s really poignant letters like that, they just touch you.”
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Some inmates are easier to predict than others, especially ones who have been considering the bookstore an anonymous pen-pal for years. One glance at the inmate’s name on the return label, and the regular volunteers, well-versed in the store’s genre-rich inventory, already have a lead on their next pick.
When the scavenger hunt through the shop is finished, it’s the volunteer’s turn to write a note back, but with a discreetly signed “Open Books” rather than their own name.
Some volunteers use the space to compliment the inmate’s reading choices, wish them luck on their studies or mail it off with a simple “take care,” but the sentiment forges a human connection with the person who will likely spend hours with eyes glued to that volunteer’s pick.
“I read a letter one day from a man who said he was serving life. He said every time his mother came to visit, he watched her hair turn gray over the years. Someday she’s going to die, he won’t be able to go to her funeral,” Nicholas recalled. “In just another letter this week, the man said, ‘Well, my wife of 25 years has filed for a divorce…please keep me in your prayers.'”
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“I mean – what do you do with a letter like that?” she asked.
Volunteers believe that when released, the prisoners are leaving different people than when they entered. Some mail back stamps or stray dollars as donations, others actually plan a trip to the bookstore to volunteer.
“Since I’ve been volunteering here, I have probably had half a dozen come by. There’s been a couple who actually volunteered for a while,” Open Books Manager Johnny Ardis said. “One of the former inmates came and volunteered here for two months — we had no idea they were an inmate. Then after a couple months, they said, ‘Well, tonight’s gonna be my last day — by the way! You sent me books when I was in prison.’ We were just kind of surprised. We had no idea, but we were glad.”
What happens inside ‘those four walls?'
Many Florida prisoners find Pensacola’s Open Books with one goal in mind: make the most of the time sandwiched in between those mundane concrete walls. It’s no coincidence that dictionaries are the top requested book, since many consider it a time to better themselves.
Trailing close behind it is requests for GED prep workbooks, nursing textbooks, financial literacy guides, HVAC manuals, cookbooks and other educational materials. For others, reading is what saves their mental state.
“What we're doing here for the greater good is providing this wonderful service, which helps them maybe have a little shred of dignity left,” Nicholas said. “Maybe we'll educate them. If it doesn't, if they're not looking to be educated, they're looking for entertainment. Or, as so many of the prisoners have said, they are escaping 'those four walls' for an hour or two while they read those books. It does so much for their body, mind and soul to do that."
Many are not just reading to escape their lives, though a nail-biting thriller does make time move a little quicker, but to make a better life for what comes after.
“A lot of them, especially the ones who order educational stuff, can become more educated while in prison," Ardis said. "When they get out, they might have a better chance of securing employment or coping with being back in society."
It turns out, many who end up asking for the materials actually see it through.
“With your help, some of us have discovered ways to use our time productively. I, for one, have obtained a GED and a vocational trade in Advanced Individual Training," a Florida State Prison inmate named Israel wrote to Open Books in a letter. “Through education, I’ve found inspiration for personal growth and redemption; allowing my perspective on the world to broaden.”
There are hundreds of those types of letters that Open Books has held onto. Volunteers hope the program may have a bigger impact in lessening the chances of reincarceration after being released.
“Reading fiction just helps you. It just helps you become more empathetic to other people’s plight. So, by reading fiction or reading nonfiction and becoming more education on a certain subject matter, I think it helps. Less likely they’ll return when they get out," Ardis said.
More information on how to volunteer or donate to Open Books can be found on the Open Books website or by calling the store at 850-453-6774. Open Books is located at 1040 N. Guillemard St. and is open every day from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
