Magnificent! This book is "Oprah" material! | My Life between The Cross and the Bars

Phenomenal. Absolutely Phenomenal!! | My Life between The Cross and the Bars | George R. Castillo

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	• My Life between The Cross and the Bars George R. Castillo G&M Publications, 1996 - 295 pages average customer review:based on 15 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Touches the Heart and Soul

George shared from the heart in this wonderful book about ministering to inmates as a chaplain. He also includes some of the politics that go with working within the system, We were so touched by his stories that we included his work in "Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul" and "Serving Time, Serving Others: Acts of Kindness by Inmates, Prison Staff, Victims, and Volunteers."

Serving Productive Time: Stories, Poems, and Tips to Inspire Positive Change from Inmates, Prison Staff, and Volunteers

Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Hope, Healing and Forgiveness (Chicken Soup for the Soul)

Serving Time, Serving Others: Acts of Kindness by Inmates, Prison Staff, Victims, and Volunteers

Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul: Stories to Celebrate the Spirit of Courage, Caring and Community

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Magnificent! This book is "Oprah" material!

I would love for the author of this great work to give a talk to my local civic organization. He has profound insight into the criminal justice system, and unique, yet practical, ideas on how to make it better. This book is worthy of being Oprah's Book of the month!

Phenomenal. Absolutely Phenomenal!!

Initially, I was leery about My Life Between the Cross and the Bars for two reasons: I'm generally not a fan of autobiographies, and I don't know anyone who has been to prison. When I was only one-fourth of the way through the book I realized that it contains volumes of material to which I can relate. I highly recommend this book to individuals from all walks of life, as it has monumentous value for everyone. The author is a genuine inspiration to all people of every race and background, and his book is a great read.

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Excellent Book

Chaplain George Castillo is my grand-uncle. I think the book is very inspirational. Until I read the book, I didn't know he did such great work in the prisons. He's an inspiration to not only the prisoners and their families, but an inspiration to us all.

"I was in prison and you visited me." Jesus, Matthew 25:36

My recommendation of the Rev. George Ramon Castillo's book, My Life between The Cross and the Bars, grows out of a personal acquaintance with the author for nearly forty years as well as several readings of the book. The book is very well written and allows the reader to glimpse a first hand view of the circumstances and events that led George into the Christian ministry and into the Federal Prison chaplaincy. This life service offering reveals the character and integrity of the man, as well as the broader dimension of his professional service.
Of vital importance to George's life story is his account of his early years in British Honduras, now Belize, his early immigration to the United States, and his service in the U.S. Air Force, and his U.S. citizenship (October 26, 1953). Even more important was his marriage in 1957 to Muriel Jermain Seale, who has provided the moral and spiritual support for his successful career.
One does not just become a minister and a chaplain willy-nilly. The story of his religious development and educational experience tells how this came about: the early difficult years, then college and seminary.
I became acquainted with George while he was a student at Bangor Theological Seminary. He and his family eventually joined the congregation I was servicing, the First Congregational Church in Brewer, Maine. He was ordained under my ministry there, one of the high points, actually the highest, of my own ministry. When I left in September of 1967, the church called him to become their Interim Minister. After a year or so, he went on to serve churches in Detroit, Michigan, and in Ohio, and then was accepted as chaplain by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
All of this is essential to getting the most out of George's career as a Federal Prison Chaplain. The reader will share in the documentation and correspondence that became an important part of George's work within a difficult bureaucratic system. There were also unexpected difficulties with the machinations of opportunistic prisoners as well as with prisoners whose legitimate personal problems were all but insurmountable. If you want insight into an environment and setting that cannot be portrayed in a TV or movie scenario, this is the book for you.
A Federal Prison does not exist in isolation from the rest of society. George spells out the relationship of his work to the "civilian" religious community. This is part of his task in educating the rest of us to the enormity of the problem that confronts American society. Prison populations are growing fast, and the costs are skyrocketing. The solution to this problem, if we take George's perspective seriously, is more in terms of human relationships than in purely punitive or monetary terms.
But this comes only through genuine commitment, in George's case, Christian commitment, in a life of duty and service, with an equally dedicated life companion. There is much to be learned from what otherwise might be considered as one of the darker sides of life. George in his book, and in his life, has shown us the way.

Ray Wilbur

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MY LIFE BETWEEN THE CROSS AND THE BARS is a book of major significance regarding life in Federal prisons and has a three-fold purpose. It was written to both outline the life of one of God's servants in the prison ministry, and also to provide an orientation for those seeking careers in the prison system as well as volunteers who wish to make a difference.

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