Is There a Need for Books?

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CNN's John Sutter talks with architect Bill Brinsey about his project to put a million books in prisons. He says the idea came after someone asked him what he would do if he could have a bigger impact on the world than money. The design is curved so that it can be seen from all sides, and there are no blind spots for prison sightlines. "I think people in prison understand harm and violence as much as anybody else,"Sutter says.

Dwayne Betts was a 16-year-old in solitary confinement when a fellow inmate slid a book of poetry under his cell door. What happened next is an astounding story of transformation: from desperation to the discovery of beauty, even behind bars. Listen as the lawyer, prison reform advocate, and award-winning poet explains to EconTalk host Russ Roberts why he's on a mission to bring books--and beauty--into prisons. They also discuss Betts's latest book, Redaction, a collaboration with the artist Titus Kaphar.