or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
22 used & new from £3.45
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Streetwise: Stories from an Irish Prison
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Streetwise: Stories from an Irish Prison (Paperback)

by Neville Thompson (Editor)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £6.39 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £1.60 (20%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, November 24? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
16 new from £4.83 6 used from £3.45
12 Days of Christmas Sale in Books
12 Days of Christmas Sale in Books
Get up to 65% off some of our top titles. Shop now

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Joy: Mountjoy Jail - The Shocking, True Story of Life on the Inside: Mountjoy Jail - The Shocking True Story of Life Inside by Paul Howard

Streetwise: Stories from an Irish Prison + The Joy: Mountjoy Jail - The Shocking, True Story of Life on the Inside: Mountjoy Jail - The Shocking True Story of Life Inside
Price For Both: £13.11

One of these items is dispatched sooner than the other. Show details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Joy: Mountjoy Jail - The Shocking, True Story of Life on the Inside: Mountjoy Jail - The Shocking True Story of Life Inside

The Joy: Mountjoy Jail - The Shocking, True Story of Life on the Inside: Mountjoy Jail - The Shocking True Story of Life Inside

by Paul Howard
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £6.72
A Life Inside: A Prisoner's Notebook

A Life Inside: A Prisoner's Notebook

by Erwin James
4.9 out of 5 stars (8)  £5.51
Have Ye No Homes to Go to?

Have Ye No Homes to Go to?

by Neville Thompson
4.5 out of 5 stars (4) 
Pure Evil

Pure Evil

by Maureen Harvey
3.4 out of 5 stars (25)  £4.38
No Way Home: The Terrifying Story of Life in a Children's Home and a Little Girl's Struggle to Survive

No Way Home: The Terrifying Story of Life in a Children's Home and a Little Girl's Struggle to Survive

by Sue Martin
4.9 out of 5 stars (14)  £4.72
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Mainstream Publishing (12 Aug 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1840188731
  • ISBN-13: 978-1840188738
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 148,387 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #8 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Law & Disorder > Causes & Prevention of Crime

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   Streetwise opens new browser window
www.MiraBooks.co.uk  -  Books from Black Star Crime! Streetwise 
   Prison Books opens new browser window
www.WatersidePress.co.uk  -  Biography to Theory - a huge range Buy Prison Books at 
   Prison Books opens new browser window
Ask.com  -  Search for Prison Books Find Prison books 
  
 

Product Description

Product Description

Every day the population of Ireland wakes up to reports of another horror case of crime. The streets have become unsafe to walk upon and yet nothing seems to be done about it. Politicians make noises voicing their disgust while the police make arrests only to have the perpetrators walk free. Despite all the media hype, no one seems to be any nearer to solving the problem. Street Wise reveals what is really happening on the streets. The stories contained here are told by prisoners: those who have been involved in crime and are now paying their debt to society, allowing the reader to enter the minds of criminals and begin to understand the circumstances behind their actions. Meet Chang, who started joyriding at eight years old and was infamous among police and legendary among fellow law-breakers by the age of 12; Mucka, a once saintly schoolboy who was abandoned by both his family and society so took to robbing as a form of revenge; PJ, man of the house and breadwinner at 11, alcoholic by 12; and Tommy, the divorce who was refused social welfare so robbed the Co-op of a million Euros and soon found the local wing of the IRA knocking at his door. An exhilarating, emotional roller coas


About the Author

Neville Thompson was born in Dublin, where he still lives, and is a writer and part-time prison teacher. He is the author of three novels: Jackie Loves Johnser OK?, Two Birds/One Stoned and Have Ye No Homes To Go To?

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Streetwise: Stories from an Irish Prison
76% buy the item featured on this page:
Streetwise: Stories from an Irish Prison 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£6.39
Two Birds/One Stoned
9% buy
Two Birds/One Stoned 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
The Damage Done: Twelve Years of Hell in a Bangkok Prison
8% buy
The Damage Done: Twelve Years of Hell in a Bangkok Prison 4.6 out of 5 stars (109)
£4.98
Marching Powder
5% buy
Marching Powder 4.7 out of 5 stars (47)
£4.76
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

1 Review
5 star:    (0)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4.0 out of 5 stars Neville Thompson is in Jail, 15 Aug 2005
By M. Halpin (Dublin Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
While other well-respected literati sip claret and order butlers to starch their spats, the author of Have Ye No Homes To Go To? spends his time assisting literacy programs for the incarcerated.

How admirable, you say?

Naw, Nev's no goody-two-boots. Insert joke about "captive audience." Pause for laughter. Ultimate Discovery: "[T]here is a great wealth of talented, entertaining people in prison."

Ten inmates, none of whom had never attended a writing workshop before, set episodes from their lives to paper. They then suggested that all proceeds from the resulting collection, Streetwise, be donated to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children and three other children's hospitals.

Now that is admirable.

Streetwise's best piece is "Fast Cars" by "Chang." (A movie-lovin' dimwit at the local shop once said 'Hey, you know what? You look like this guy, Jackie Chang!' The name stuck.) Chang accidentally stole his parents' car at the age of eight. That episode, understandably, earned him lots of attention. By the age of fifteen, our first-person narrator has robbed bicycles, mopeds, Fords... even a Ferrari. Hey, why dream small? This is faction, a mix of fact and fiction. The only rule: "Write the story that you want to tell."

And that story is told with character. There's detail, both on Chang's thefts and on their consequences. "Fast Cars" is a very interesting piece, on par with professional True Crime tomes on Critical Mick's shelf.

Other selections provide glimpses into the proverbial life of crime. "Pedro" illustrates youthful drug addiction and the violent robberies necessary to fuel it. "Mucka" relates a vivid story of foster care abuse. These are Irish versions of well-worn social arguments, and sometimes they include a treat. "Not So Funny Now," J.F's depiction of deprived upbringing, closes on a moment touching enough to have come from Hemingway, or (better) Elizabeth McCracken.

The one story that is not a realistic auto-biographical sketch is "Easy Money" by "A.D." Thirty-five pages of pulp fiction. The loot robbed by a Cork city crook turns out to be IRA money. Tommy can't escape even by running to London. International terrorism proves to be a world of guns, drugs, and foul-mouthed double-dealing hard men.

Snooty critics will turn up their starched spats and whine in a D4 accent, "Oh, pshwa! All these facts has already been well established, I daresay!" Critical Mick will kick their fancy pants. It is an accomplishment to outline, write, complete and edit a story at all. Like eager members of Imaginaries or Critters, these amateur writers are driven by the tales within them. That their skills are only beginning to develop is part of the appeal.

Critical Mick says: James Joyce never went to prison. Read Streetwise for its voices, its gritty authenticity, and to help a great cause.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject


















i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.