This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life

by Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods

A “profound, sometimes hilarious, often heartbreaking” (The New York Times) view of prison life, as told by currently and formerly incarcerated people, from the co-creators and co-hosts of the Peabody- and Pulitzer-nominated podcast Ear Hustle

“A must-read for fans of the legendary podcast and all those who seek to understand crime, punishment, and mass incarceration in America.”—Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black

When Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods met, Nigel was a photography professor volunteering with the Prison University Project and Earlonne was serving thirty-one years to life at California’s San Quentin State Prison. Initially drawn to each other by their shared interest in storytelling, neither had podcast production experience when they decided to enter Radiotopia’s contest for new shows . . . and won. Using the prize for seed money, Nigel and Earlonne launched Ear Hustle, named after the prison term for “eavesdropping.” It was the first podcast created and produced entirely within prison and would go on to be heard millions of times worldwide, garner Peabody and Pulitzer award nominations, and help earn Earlonne his freedom when his sentence was commuted in 2018. 

In This Is Ear Hustle, Nigel and Earlonne share their own stories of how they came to San Quentin, how they created their phenomenally popular podcast amid extreme limitations, and what has kept them collaborating season after season. They present new stories, all with the same insight, balance, and rapport that distinguish the podcast. In an era when more than two million people are incarcerated across the United States—a number that grows by 600,000 annually—Nigel and Earlonne explore the full and often surprising realities of prison life. With characteristic candor and humor, their moving portrayals include unexpected moments of self-discovery, unlikely alliances, inspirational resilience, and ingenious work-arounds.

One personal narrative at a time, framed by Nigel’s and Earlonne’s distinct perspectives, This Is Ear Hustle reveals the complexity of life for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people while illuminating the shared experiences of humanity that unite us all.

• ISBN10: 0593238869
• ISBN13: 9780593238868
• Publish Date: 19 October 2021
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Crown Publishing Group, Division of Random House Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593238868

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

This Is Ear Hustle relates some of the daily realities and the background stories of inmates in San Quentin written by the duo responsible for the podcast, Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods. Due out 12th Oct 2021 from Crown Publishing, it's 304 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.

I was familiar with the Ear Hustle podcast, but not a regular listener, and even so, I found myself immediately drawn in and invested in the characters and stories related here. The backgrounds are varied, as are the outlooks and outcomes for the men, but they're all absolutely authentic and often so sad. There's a lot of humor and hope as well, so it's not only bleak and dark, but it was really reading about the lies and distortions from the court system and the law officers that felt like a gut punch to me.

I spent much of this read really viscerally angry. I think it's an important book, but it wasn't always a fun read.

Five stars. This is a superlative book and highly recommended for library and school acquisition, as a support/resource text for social sciences, and for readers of nonfiction.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.