Please indulge me in this promotion of my new book ‘A Pentridge memoir: a political prisoner’s story’.

A few readers might be interested and, as the book is self-published, I’m keen to minimize the inevitable financial loss by selling the book directly by mail order.

NEW AUSTRALIAN HISTORY TITLE

A Pentridge Memoir: A Political Prisoner’s Story

“This is no ordinary prison memoir. It is a deeply personal reminiscence – self-castigating at times and searingly honest throughout; reflecting on the innocence of youth, of love and loss at La Trobe, on the cost of growing up with domestic violence in the home, and on the emotional burden of these unresolved traumas on his time ‘inside’.”

— Peter Cochrane

I am writing to offer you the opportunity to purchase A Pentridge Memoir: A Political Prisoner’s Story, my personal and historical account of imprisonment, political activism and the struggle for prisoners’ rights in 1970s Victoria. Or, perhaps you could ask your library to order a copy.

The book has been self-published: a labour of love. I’m hoping through sales to recoup some of my investment in the book. 

The book recounts my 44 days in Melbourne’s notorious Pentridge Prison in 1972. I was imprisoned without trial for contempt of court after defying a Supreme Court injunction that barred me from entering La Trobe University. I was one of three student activists jailed (with Fergus Robinson and Brian Pola) during a period of intense political unrest shaped by opposition to America’s war in Vietnam, resistance to apartheid and campaigns for democratic rights on university campuses.

The memoir vividly describes the harsh realities of Pentridge: rigid routines, degrading conditions, brutality by prison officers, the despair of inmates and the psychological toll of incarceration. It also traces my working-class migrant upbringing in Brunswick, political awakening and the personal experiences that accompanied my time inside.

Following my release, I helped establish organisations campaigning for prison reform and prisoners’ rights. The book includes a history of the Victorian Prisoners’ Action Committee, 1973-1976, and documents efforts to expose abuses and improve prison conditions.

The book contains my 5,600 word essay on ‘the legacy of 1968’ as an appendix.

Book and ordering details

• Author: Barry York
• ISBN: 978-1-7648146-0-7
• Extent: xviii, 148 pages (166 pages in total)
• Price: $29.95 per copy
• Postage: $12.05
• Total for one copy: $42.00
• Order: Email barryyork554@gmail.com; payment and delivery details will be supplied.

“I’ve read probably every book written about Pentridge and this is among the best… Pentridge is described not as an abstract symbol of punishment but as a living, breathing institution, ruled by rigid routine, isolation, fear and the ever-present threat of violence.

Barry captures the monotony of endless hours locked alone in a cell, the dehumanising rituals of prison life, the sounds of men being beaten beyond the walls, and the quiet resilience of prisoners who struggled to retain their dignity…

His account is neither sensational nor self-pitying. Few books offer such an intimate window into Pentridge, making Barry’s account an invaluable historical record as well as a compelling personal memoir.”

— Ray Mooney, former Pentridge prisoner

Written with honesty, humour and political conviction, the book is part prison memoir, part political history and part personal journey. It offers a rare window into Australia’s turbulent 1970s and is relevant to collections in Australian and Victorian history, prisons and criminal justice, civil liberties, social movements, university history, migration and autobiography.

I would be pleased to supply a copy directly. To order, please email me at barryyork554@gmail.com with your name and postal address. I will reply with payment details and confirm dispatch.

Yours sincerely,

Barry York
Author, A Pentridge Memoir

Here is an excerpt from the book: