A Place to Stand by Jimmy Santiago Baca
Jimmy Santiago Baca's harrowing, brilliant memoir of his life before, during, and immediately after the years he spent in a maximum-security prison garnered tremendous critical acclaim and went on to win the prestigious 2001 International Prize. Long considered one of the best poets in America today, Baca was illiterate at the age of twenty-one and facing five to ten years behind bars for selling drugs. A Place to Stand is the remarkable tale of how he emerged after his years in the penitentiary -- much of it spent in isolation -- with the ability to read and a passion for writing poetry. A vivid portrait of life inside a maximum-security prison and an affirmation of one man's spirit in overcoming the most brutal adversity, A Place to Stand stands as proof there is always hope in even the most desperate lives -- (Fort Worth Morning Star-Telegram). A Place to Stand is a hell of a book, quite literally. You won't soon forget it. -- Luis Urrea, The San Diego Union-Tribune This book will have a permanent place in American letters. -- Jim HarrisonJimmy Santiago Baca spent his youth on the outskirts of society as an abandoned child and a runaway. He resorted to a life of crime several times as an adult, eventually receiving a five-year sentence in a maximum-security prison. He emerges from jail a voracious reader and a brilliant, self-taught writer after years of horrible torture in administrative segregation and isolation. He miraculously acquires a strong love for poetry, which proves to be his saving grace. Baca is now a well-known author who has won numerous awards, including the Pushcart Prize, the American Book Award, the Hispanic Heritage Award, and the coveted International Prize for his memoir, A Place to Stand.
In 2006, he was honored with the Cornelius P. The Turner Award is a national honor that honors one GED graduate each year for extraordinary achievements to society in the areas of education, justice, health, public service, and social welfare. Baca has done hundreds of writing seminars in jails, community centers, libraries, and universities after dedicating his post-prison life to writing and teaching those who are overcoming adversity. He founded Cedar Tree, Inc., a nonprofit foundation dedicated to assisting people in improving their lives via education, in 2005.
Poetry Selected Poems/Poemas Selectos Rita and Julia Spring Poems Along the Rio Grande Winter Poems Along the Rio Grande C-Train and Thirteen Mexicans Healing Earthquakes Que Linda La Brisa/How Lovely the Wind Is Immigrants in Our Own Land Black Mesa Poems Martin and Meditations on the South Valley Short Tales and Essays Adolescents on the Edge / Stories f
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780802139085 |
| ISBN 10 | 0802139086 |
| Title | A Place to Stand |
| Author | Jimmy Santiago Baca |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press |
| Year published | 2002-06-10 |
| Number of pages | 272 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |