Recently, old friend John Hood sent me a link to this book review in a recent issue of Esquire. The review was for David Lozell Martin’s Losing Everything and was written by a guy who calls himself St. James Harris Wood. According to Esquire, Wood is currently serving time in a California coastal penal colony.

Convict book reviewer. Brilliant idea! Except, wait a minute, I’ve heard this idea somewhere before. Where?

Oh yeah, John Hood came up with it. Way back in 2003 and 2004, I published book reviews by John Hood in Bully Magazine. Hood was doing a short stint in a Pennsylvania lock up and, having already written for Bully, proposed the idea to me as an ongoing column titled “Book ‘Em.” The column was a big hit — not only with readers but with publishing industry reps who loved the concept of a convict book reviewer.

To give credit where credit is due, you can still read Hood’s “Book ‘Em” pieces here. Or if you want to go ol’ school, check out the original articles in Bully using the Way Back Machine. Or better yet, keep up with John’s current reviews in the Miami Sun Post. Check them out here.