The Man Behind the Bars

"The Man Behind the Bars" by Winifred Louise Taylor is an exploration of the author's involvement with prisoners and their lives at the turn of the century. Taylor documents the lives of convicts encountered while trying to promote literacy, highlighting the complex stories and struggles of incarcerated people like Willy, a desperate youth. Beginning with Taylor's work as a Sunday school teacher, she is driven to establish a library for men in jail, seeking to positively influence lives behind bars. Through observations of unfairness and suffering, the book reveals the difficulties of prison life, shows the need for compassion, and questions the purpose of punishment.