Albert Woodfox was held in solitary confi nement for more than 40 years, reportedly longer than any prisoner in our nation’s history. His wise, insightful memoir, Solitary (Grove, $26)—a finalist for the National Book Award—begins with his growing up poor in the Deep South, turning to petty crime to survive, and landing in jail, uneducated, while still in his teens. During a brief escape, he is introduced to the Black Panther Party before being caught and sent to one of Louisiana’s most notorious prisons, Angola. Soon he is framed for the murder of a white prison guard and confi ned to a 6-by-9 foot cell 23 hours a day. His friendship with two fellow Panthers —they become the Angola Three—sustains him through years of physical and emotional torture and legal chicanery. Determined to maintain his dignity, self-respect, and sanity, he transforms his tiny cell into a makeshift meditation room, gym, debate hall, and classroom where he educates himself through works of literature, philosophy, history, and law. Woodfox, finally released in 2016, is a gleaming example of resilience, spirit, and grace. And his story is a vivid chronicle of why our criminal justice system desperately needs fixing.