Description
A prisoner gardens his way to freedom in this captivating picture-book biography.
When Elliott Michener was locked away in Alcatraz for counterfeiting, he was determined to defy the odds and bust out. But when he got a job tending the prison garden, a funny thing happened. Thoughts of escape were replaced with new interests and skills—and a sense of dignity and fulfillment. Elliott transformed Alcatraz Island, and the island transformed him.
Told with empathy and a storyteller's flair, Elliott's story is funny, touching, and unexpectedly relevant. Back matter about the history of Alcatraz and the US prison system today invites meaningful discussion.
Includes:
Time Line - "1969-70: Native American occupation of Alcatraz"
Descriptions and subsections of Indigenous involvement in Alcatraz. For example, "The Native Occupation" as a subsection
Select bibliography
Author's Note - includes the information Corrina Gould, Tribal Chair of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, "went over the passages concerning Native people's relationship with Alcatraz."
When Elliott Michener was locked away in Alcatraz for counterfeiting, he was determined to defy the odds and bust out. But when he got a job tending the prison garden, a funny thing happened. Thoughts of escape were replaced with new interests and skills—and a sense of dignity and fulfillment. Elliott transformed Alcatraz Island, and the island transformed him.
Told with empathy and a storyteller's flair, Elliott's story is funny, touching, and unexpectedly relevant. Back matter about the history of Alcatraz and the US prison system today invites meaningful discussion.
Includes:
Time Line - "1969-70: Native American occupation of Alcatraz"
Descriptions and subsections of Indigenous involvement in Alcatraz. For example, "The Native Occupation" as a subsection
Select bibliography
Author's Note - includes the information Corrina Gould, Tribal Chair of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, "went over the passages concerning Native people's relationship with Alcatraz."