I liked this book and I don't necessarily disagree with most of the reviews here. Yeah, Mikita is a little naive and ignorant and a bit "holier than thou" but I didn't mind it. I was sympathetic to her cause. I wrote (and still kind of write) letters to a prisoner, a pen pal of sorts. I wasn't as ignorant as Mikita going into it but I don't fault her for her rude awakenings.

First: For the last three years, I've been running a book club at a men's prison.
Last: Because literature was all I had.