Chained Birds Audiobook By Carla Conti cover art

Chained Birds

A True Crime Memoir

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Chained Birds

By: Carla Conti
Narrated by: Carla Conti
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About this listen

After three years in Europe, former journalist Carla Conti* just wanted to settle her family into the suburbs of Philadelphia. But her high school friend Scott Powell, a lawyer handling a brutal prison stabbing case, needed a favor. Before she knew it, Carla became part of the defense team and mired in the terrifying world of federal prison gangs, penal abuse, and corruption.

Then, when she agreed to write a tell-all book on the violent machinations behind the court case — with Scott’s client as an inside source — the stakes turned deadly. Two different prison gangs issued “hit orders” against the prisoner she and Scott now considered a friend, and the journalist and defense attorney were imperiled by association.

CHAINED BIRDS is a true crime memoir of Carla’s 10-year journey to advocate for federal inmate Kevin Sanders and help him re-enter society after prison. But the mission came at a cost as Carla struggled to balance her own, Scott’s, and Kevin’s safety while writing an exposé on the horrific conditions that led to the shutdown of an experimental prison program in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

This thrilling, frightening book depicts a journey filled with unlikely friendships, invisible victims of prison abuse, failings in our criminal justice system, and redemption through storytelling.*Carla Conti is a pen name used by the author to protect her real identity for fear of retribution.

©2024 WildBlue Press (P)2024 WildBlue Press
Law Murder Organized Crime Emotionally Gripping Exciting Scary
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Raw and riveting true tale of injustice

Carla Conti's Chained Birds, a true crime memoir about justice, or more precisely injustice, in the American penal system, is a raw and riveting read. In many ways, it took me back to my college days studying criminal justice and the corrections industry. One part thriller, one part memoir, Chained Birds tells the story of federal inmate Kevin Sanders, his attorney Scott Powell, and Carla herself, as they fight to defend Sanders against gruesome stabbing charges inside the corrupt experimental prison program in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Conti weaves a tight narrative about prison gangs and culture, the violence and danger from inmates and correction officers alike, and the bonds of friendship between a complicated inmate - a deep thinking and talented artist whose life has been mired in violence, drug abuse, and disappointment, a right-wing attorney working to exonerate him of his most recent charges, the author, a former journalist turned legal aide, and other players on the stage. Conti navigates the dangerous landmines of corruption, violence, a pandemic, and political upheaval both in and outside the prison system in a compelling way. A heartbreaking and harrowing tale, Conti still manages to bring a great deal of heart and even occasional levity to this dark tale.

As is true of most real-life stories, there's no happy ending to be found in Chained Birds. No neat bow. It's raw and real and a sad indictment on our criminal justice system. It should be required reading for students learning about corrections in criminal justice programs across the country. It would certainly spark lively discussions!

Conti pulls double duty in the audiobook version of Chained Birds - both as the author and narrator - and she brings the force of her passion for the story into her reading of the book in a way an outside reader simply couldn't do justice. Her performance is exceptional and adds a degree of gravitas to an already impactful tale.

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