‘It gives me a sense of worth again’ – A’s Story

At The Reader, we're opening up the wealth of emotional experience contained in great literature to people regardless of which life situation they currently find themselves in. Our weekly read-aloud, shared reading groups operate around the country in a variety of settings, connecting people closer to books, stories and poems - and one another - with often very profound results.

Recently we received some feedback from one of our Readers attending a group in HMP Frankland, Durham, about their experience of shared reading.

A had been a keen reader, but found that with nobody to talk with about the things that he was reading that his enjoyment decreased. The act of reading, and rediscovering reading, was vital for A to maintain a sense of normal perspective about himself - something that he identifies as being hard to hold onto while in prison - and reconnect to a more positive mental outlook.

Saying that he was 'struggling' with life, A describes attending the shared reading group at the prison as being like 'a cool drink of water on a hot day seemingly without end'. Though recognising the benefits of reading on an individual level, shared reading within a group appears to make a particular difference:

"If reading by oneself in isolation is inherently edifying, and I believe it to be so, then how much more so when you read with others of a like mind? The connections and insights of a shared reading group are endless and some of those most in need of new connections and insights are prisoners. I myself have actually become more tolerant of people and value their opinions far more than I used to as I am constantly amazed by the depth of those insights which frequently resonate with me deeply."

"I have seen my friends reading and then writing poetry in their own time who before attending the group had not the faintest idea about it nor the inclination to find out.