Title: Sam Walton: Made in America, My Story Author: Sam Walton with john Huey Date read: March 1, 2012 Why I read Sam Walton: I’ve never shopped in a Wal-Mart store. When my prison term began, in 1987, the Wal-Mart chain had not yet spread to the Seattle area, where I [...]
In one of my recent daily journals, I referenced a Wall Street Journal article that expressed the importance that employers place upon hiring job candidates who can prove their ability to communicate effectively. Those employers wrote that they would consider hiring individuals with unconventional backgrounds, but only if the job candidates could distinguish themselves from [...]
A few weeks ago I wrote a book report describing what I learned from Paul Tough’s wonderful book Whatever It Takes. Today, as I continue preparations for the first Straight-A Guide class that I will teach next week, I am reviewing my notes from Mr. Tough’s book. He wrote about the remarkable steps Geoffrey Canada [...]
While running this morning, I contemplated a challenge I would have to overcome in the months ahead. It concerns my efforts to introduce the Straight-A Guide program to people who are serving sentences in other federal prisons. I am passionate about a responsibility I have to persuade other prisoners to work toward law-abiding, meaningful lives [...]
My young friend David Muniz received a load of college books yesterday. It pleases me to see the commitment that he is making to educate himself while we serve our sentences together at Taft camp. He uses the profile he is building on the Straight-A Guide website to document progress toward goals he sets, but [...]
I was surprised to receive an envelope from The Crown Publishing Group today. The envelope was large, containing something heavy. Since I do not have a relationship with The Crown Publishing Group, I was eager to see what they’d sent. It was a letter from a vice president and executive editor along with an advance [...]
It’s easy for a man to say he’s going to change his life in positive ways upon imprisonment. Really changing, though, is something else. Positive change does not happen by accident. It is a personal choice that requires the right attitude, commitment, and discipline. Anicasio Muñoz (who goes by Nick), didn’t begin his term with the intention of changing [...]
Amanda Ripley published an informative article in the 19 April issue of Time Magazine describing a controversial experiment of offering children cash incentives for high performance in school. Many educators objected to the cash awards because they felt strongly that children should study for the love of learning, not for the promise of a cash [...]
I’m trying to convince David, my roommate at Taft Camp, to continue his education. A few months ago I wrote a blog describing David’s graduation from the GED program. Since then I’ve urged him to continue with studies at Taft College, but he’s losing interest. Like many prisoners, David’s being seduced with the “easy money” [...]
Yesterday I received a new pair or running shoes. I ordered the shoes last month, and I’ve been waiting patiently for the commissary here at Taft Camp to deliver them. In the higher-security prisons where I was held before 2003, the commissary kept shoes in stock. Here in the camp, we preorder from an institutional [...]
