Is Your Book in the Library?

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"500 books is something for everybody to discover that they've never heard of," he says. "I think, the thing is somebody's going to pick that up and get introduced to the idea it will literally carry them through a bunch of days" The book collection includes works by W.E.B. Du Bois as well as some lesser-known authors such as Adam Smith.

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.