If you are an incarcerated person who wants to receive free books, or you have a loved one who wants to receive free books, please read this page which describes where we send books, the books we send, how often we send books, and how books can be requested.
States we serve
We used to provde books to incarcerated people nationwide (other than a few states which prohibited sending books or who had large corrections systems that would overwhelm our project). Unfortunately, we now only have the financial and volunteer resources to send books to people in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities in the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
If you or your loved one is incarcerated somewhere else, there are many projects like ours throughout the country that might be able to help. Find a prison book program near you.
What we can send
Our project has thousands of books that range from classic fiction, to mystery novels, to books on Latino history, to Calculus. We have very limited funds for purchasing books, so most of these books have been donated from the community in Bloomington, Indiana. A small number of books are purchased at used book sales, and some are obtained through Internet book trading sites. Since most of our books are used, people in facilities that prohibit used books will have a greatly limited selection.
How many books can I get and how often?
Because of the large number of requests we receive every week, we are able to send 2 or 3 books once every 2 months.
How do I get books?
Books can be requested through the mail by sending a letter to
The Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project
c/o Boxcar Books and Community Center, Inc.
408 E. 6th St.
Bloomington, IN 47408
The letter should include your (or your loved one's) name, DOC#, facility name, mailing address, any restrictions on books being sent to their facilitiy (for example: no hardcover books, invoice required, etc.), and the kind of books that you would like.
Since most of our books are donated, we cannot often provide the exact titles that people request (though we do our best). You'll have better luck if you ask for books by author or in a particular genre or on a particular subject. The more areas of interest that you send us, the more likely it is that we'll find good books that match what you're looking for.
submitted on Thu, 2008-10-09 16:32
