10 Free Ebooks to Read When You’re In Prison
“I was kind of excited to go to jail for the first time and I learnt some great dialogue.” – Quentin Tarantino
Well you don’t really have to be in prison to indulge in the materials listed here, but hypothetically, this would be indeed a good approach on reading, opening up yourself to different scenarios and absorbing materials you wouldn’t have thought entering your to-read list. This list is relatively small, as we’re covering only that which are free, but we’re including commercial ones nonetheless for your reference.
These free ebooks include:-
1. The Count Of Monte Cristo
by Alexander Dumas
An adventure story primarily concerned with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy and forgiveness, it focuses on a man who is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes from jail, acquires a fortune and sets about getting revenge on those responsible for his imprisonment. However, his plans have devastating consequences for the innocent as well as the guilty. In addition, it is a story that involves romance, loyalty, betrayal and selfishness, shown throughout the story as characters slowly reveal their true inner nature.
– Wikipedia
Click on the link below to visit the site:-
The Count Of Monte Cristo
2. Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Crime and Punishment focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student in St. Petersburg who formulates and executes a plan to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker for her cash. Raskolnikov argues that with the pawnbroker’s money he can perform good deeds to counterbalance the crime, while ridding the world of a worthless vermin. He also commits this murder to test his own hypothesis that some people are naturally capable of such things, and even have the right to do them. Several times throughout the novel, Raskolnikov justifies his actions by comparing himself with Napoleon Bonaparte, believing that murder is permissible in pursuit of a higher purpose.
– Wikipedia
Click on the link below to visit the site:-
Crime and Punishment
3. Siddhartha
by Hermann Hesse
Siddhartha is a 1922 novel by Hermann Hesse that deals with the spiritual journey of self-discovery of a man named Siddhartha during the time of the Gautama Buddha. The word Siddhartha is made up of two words in the Sanskrit language, siddha (achieved) + artha (what was searched for), which together means “he who has found meaning (of existence)” or “he who has attained his goals”.
– Wikipedia
Click on the link below to visit the site:-
Siddhartha
4. Hunger
by Knut Hamsun
Hunger (Norwegian: Sult) is a novel by the Norwegian author Knut Hamsun published in 1890. The novel has been hailed as the literary opening of the 20th century and an outstanding example of modern, psychology-driven literature. Hunger portrays the irrationality of the human mind in an intriguing and sometimes humorous manner.
– Wikipedia
Click on the link below to visit the site:-
Hunger
5. Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius
Meditations, literally “thoughts/writings addressed to himself”) is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161-180 CE, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. Marcus’s style is not viewed as anything regal or belonging to royalty, but rather a man among other men which allows the reader to relate to his wisdom. His Stoic ideas often involve avoiding indulgence in sensory affections, a skill which will free a man from the pains and pleasures of the material world. He claims that the only way a man can be harmed by others is to allow his reaction to overpower him
– Wikipedia
Click on the link below to visit the site:-
Meditations
6. The Entire Project Gutenberg Collection of Oliver Wendell Holmes
by Oliver Wendell Holmes
Holmes is one of the Fireside Poets, together with William Cullen Bryant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, and John Greenleaf Whittier. These poets – whose writing was characterized as family-friendly and conventional – were among the first Americans to build substantial popularity in Europe. Holmes in particular believed poetry had “the power of transfiguring the experiences and shows of life into an aspect which comes from the imagination and kindles that of others”.
– Wikipedia
Click on the link below to visit the site:-
The Entire Project Gutenberg Collection of Oliver Wendell Holmes
7. Tao Te Ching
by Lao Tzu (Lao Tse)
“The Tao Te Ching is the 2nd most published book in history next to the bible. It is not a religious, but a philosophical book. Every human should read it for its’ absolute and pure lessons on natural wisdom. I have read it many times and believe it to be the simplest yet deeply intellectual book ever written. There are many life lessons all of can learn from. . .so what are you waiting for?!” – Robert Revell
– Wikipedia
Click on the link below to visit the site:-
Tao Te Ching
8. The Brothers Karamazov
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Brothers Karamazov is a passionate philosophical novel set in 19th century Russia, that enters deeply into the ethical debates of God, free will, and morality. It is a spiritual drama of moral struggles concerning faith, doubt, and reason, set against a modernizing Russia. Since its publication, it has been acclaimed as one of the supreme achievements in literature.
– Wikipedia
Click on the link below to visit the site:-
The Brothers Karamazov
9. The Trial
by Franz Kafka
One of Kafka’s best-known works, it tells the story of a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed neither to him nor the reader. It is an illustration of the nightmare that a powerless man can experience due to bureaucracy and injustice.
– Wikipedia
Click on the link below to visit the site:-
The Trial
10. Sailing Alone Around the World
by Joshua Slocum
Sailing Alone Around the World (1900) is a sailing memoir by Joshua Slocum about his single-handed global circumnavigation aboard the sloop Spray. Slocum was the first person to sail around the world alone. The book was an immediate success and highly influential in inspiring later travelers.
– Wikipedia
Click on the link below to visit the site:-
Sailing Alone Around the World
Bonus Titles (Not free)
More titles for your reading pleasure…
- The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
- Papillon by Henri Charrière
- Johnny Cash: The Life by Robert Hilburn
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
- The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck
- The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
- You Can’t Win by Jack Black
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry
- A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
- The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
- The Way of Zen by Alan Watts
- Mind and Nature by Gregory Bateson
- Myths to Live by (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell) by Joseph Campbell
- Godel Escher Bach by Douglass Hofstadter
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- Spandau: The Secret Diaries by Albert Speer
- Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing by Ted Conover
- Steppenwolfe by Herman Hesse
- Narcissus by Herman Hesse
- Demian by Herman Hesse
- Beneath the Wheel by Herman Hesse
- House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
- The Stranger by Albert Camus
- Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
- Shogun by James Clavell
- Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur
