Full site coming soon
See latest press release.
For more information please contact info@bangupbooks.com
Full site coming soon
See latest press release.
For more information please contact info@bangupbooks.com
See latest press release.
For more information please contact info@bangupbooks.com
See latest press release.
For more information please contact info@bangupbooks.com
Bang Up Books is a new campaign to transform prison libraries. The pandemic has hit the prison system extremely hard. Already struggling with decades of under investment, British prisons have been in paralysis since March. Visits have been cancelled, and all inmates have been stuck in their cells every day, with only 15 minutes for a shower and exercise.
Chris Atkins (documentary film maker, ex-prisoner and author of A Bit of a Stretch) started driving bags of books donated from friends to HMP Pentonville during the lockdown. Since then the campaign has escalated to a national level. Literary agents including Curtis Brown and Greene and Heaton have generously donated hundreds of proofs and publicity copies. We’ve also had support from publishers including Atlantic and Headline. The campaign has been fully endorsed by the prison service, who have connected us with over 50 prisons desperate to get more books. We’ve already shipped over 2,500 books to ten prisons, and our target is to hit 10,000 books by the end of September.
Reading has overwhelming benefits for prisoners and wider society, as it can significantly reduce reoffending. 50% of prisoners are functionally illiterate, which is often why they offend in the first place.
On International Literacy Day we are approaching publishers and agents for spare copies of new books, which are far more likely to encourage reading. Popular genres include thrillers, humour, true crime, celebrity memoirs, historical fiction and self-help. 90% of the prison population is male, but we are in contact with several women’s prisons and will allocate titles accordingly. There are a large number of teenagers in the prison system, so young adult books are very welcome.
We will take any books that are on offer, and can collect at your convenience.
"Bang Up Books is a brilliant idea. We all have too many books: stacked up on shelves or (worse) locked away in cupboards. Books can all too easily become an encumbrance, but put them into prisons and they become a force for good, a vital part of the rehabilitation process. Putting unwanted books where they are most wanted and where they will have the greatest impact makes obvious sense and I’m delighted to support Chris Atkins in his initiative.”
Anthony Horowitz,
author of Alex Rider, The Power of Five, Foyle’s War
"Books, books and more books are absolutely vital for those in jail; they not only provide entertainment and education, they nourish the imagination and help develop empathy. They also help overcome feelings of abandonment, because a book is the best friend anyone can have. I can't recommend this scheme too highly."
Deborah Moggach,
author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Tulip Fever
“Someone very smart one said: ‘We read to know we are not alone.’ And nowhere is this more true than in prisons, where books not only provide company and comfort, but examples, aspiration and hope. Bang Up Books is the best charitable initiative in publishing.”
Sathnam Sanghera,
author of The Boy With The Topknot and Marriage Material
Articles on the benefits of reading in prison:
New Statesman - Why reading books in prison can set you free