A Prisoner’s Guide to Humor Paperback – June 10, 2017
by Frank (The Forger) Feldman (Author)
The prisoner’s Guide to Humor is an unusual book of jokes intended to bring humor into a setting of endless boredom. A few years ago comedy suddenly became quite the rage at Rahway Prison in New Jersey. It started out as a fad that swept through the house. Originally joke tellers started trading jokes in the chow hall. After awhile they were asked to tell their jokes loudly enough for everyone to hear. Soon they were using the mike and speakers already set up for daily announcements. It’s now a major part of prison life at Rahway. Inmates devote much of their free time to comedy. Some have become in-house celebrities for their stand-up routines or for finding hilarious gems to share. Being a “comedian” at Rahway is as important as being a “jailhouse lawyer” (a prisoner who has a good understanding of the legal system and advises other inmates). Our “seasoned comedians” decided to publish a volume or two of the Rahway Prison Comedy Project’s ‘Guides to Humor’ to share with all of you. Consider this gift a model that you can use in your own “Graybar Hotel.” If you’re a fish, or the rare CO who has a sense of humor or someone who’s returned to the free world, or someone from the free world who wants to get a rare look at prison humor you might find this book a hilarious gem. (For readers from outside the Graybar Hotel, a ‘fish’ is a new prisoner, ‘the free world’ is the world outside of prison, a ‘CO’ is a correction officer, and our beloved ‘Graybar Hotel’ is prison). “The rough life you hear about mainly takes place because our brothers “inside” are living hopeless lives. Comedy has proven to be a healing force in our prison. We all love to laugh. We learn to expose our pain in “group therapy”. Comedy expresses the opposite, the pleasure that we all have the capacity to feel.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Frank Phillip Feldman was born in Edison, NJ in 1948. Starting out his artistic career as a musician, Frank played in jazz clubs, musical theater, Bar Mitzvahs and weddings, and resorts in New York State’s Catskill Mountains. At the same time, he was beginning to develop as a visual artist, eventually displaying his art in New York City galleries. Most of Frank’s work fell into the category of ‘super realism’, his attempt at making his paintings seem more real than reality. After developing an addiction to heroin, Frank started in on a life of forgery. Using his talent for super realism he teamed up with a master printer who had done time in prison for forgery. The two were very successful forgers for two years until they were caught in a sting operation. In prison Frank started writing poetry and short stories which have been published in major literary magazines. Always a ‘kidder’, Frank was one of the founders of the Rahway Prison Comedy Project. Released last year he now works as a stocker at a Whole Foods store in Millville, New Jersey.
Product details
- Paperback: 90 pages
- Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (June 10, 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1541270614
- ISBN-13: 978-1541270619
- Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.2 x 9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars 3 customer reviews
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,815,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Five Stars
ByAmazon Customeron June 16, 2017
Format: Paperback
Hilarious and brilliant. A must have book for toilet reading everywhere.
