My Father’s Book: The Joint Papers
No comments yet In Book, Design, Portfolio
Back in 1999, my father, Robert Riegner spent a solid year sentence in prison for multiple D.U.I. charges. Originally sentenced to 1-3 years at State Correctional Facility: Camp Hill, he was exposed to the harsh reality of the challenges of an inmate in the prison system. Throughout the process, he kept a daily journal of the account, describing his challenges with overcoming his addiction to alcohol. He explored the dangers and cunning needed for survival amidst dangerous convicts, and he exposed much of the corruption of the prison system. The journal was his way to maintain sanity and keep his goals in focus. Afterwords, he took the collected legal papers and created a manuscript over the next 8 years, which I have now put into a novel form.
This book was a real inspiration to read and produce. It was well worth it to hear about a first hand account of the day to day personal struggle of self recovery by someone who made a series of mistakes throughout his life. He had no other choice but to face those problems while in the worst place in the world, and it really hit me hard with questions concerning my own life. The way he approaches his own recovery crosses borders and barbed wire to make basic connections that many types of people could apply to their life in many ways. The book is also just a well crafted great read, and a fast read as well. As far as production is concerned, the book is thermal bound in the style of a legal pad, and includes all the inner goodies of a novel, with maps, commissary list, glossary, and illustrations created during his experience. I find them very well crafted works of art.
I urge anybody interested to give the book a read. For everything that it has done for my life, I would hope that for someone else it can offer the same. It contains a powerful message of hope, and if you feel lost in this world, this book can help. I’ve allowed 2 chapters of the book for public viewing, please take a look at the links below and offer what feedback you can.
Also, here are some images of my final designed book:
Thank you dad for everything youʼve ever done for me, youʼre the kind of father that most children can only ever dream of having. I hope to use the lessons youʼve taught me and teach them my children some day, and to smile with pride as I watch them grow.
