Writing our way out truly was a transformative book.

We are used to consuming happy-ending books with a start, middle, and end while this book does not follow that structure. I found really interesting the placement of the stories throughout the book and even though in the beginning it may have been confusing, after a few chapters it made total sense. This structure allows the reader to find common themes across the main characters and dive deep into their stories. Even though there is a flow followed in the book, it basically does not have an ending. It is based on real people continuing their lives outside the book and therefore continuing their own version of the book and their families are going to be the next generations to continue and so on.

Moreover, this book changed to a significant extent the way I view certain things. I was always trying to be aware of my privileges but after reading the stories of people living around me, I truly understood how privileged I am and how significant that can be in someone’s life. This book taught me that the easiest thing we can do is to judge someone based on their outcomes but most of the time that comes from a place of privilege and ignorance. We truly can not understand someone’s path in life until we start listening to their stories; they truly are a transmission power that unites and shapes people for the better.

Therefore, Writing Our Way Out sheds light on the potential for writing as a tool for rehabilitation and personal growth, offering a poignant exploration of how storytelling and self-expression can provide a pathway to redemption and transformation for those who have been entangled in the criminal justice system.