Chained Birds

A True Crime Memoir

De: Carla Conti

Narrado por: Carla Conti

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

More than advocating for better prison system

Carla Conti describes the efforts she and her two friends made to advocate for federal prison inmate Kevin Sanders. She details the friendships, horrible conditions, abuse, and the criminal justice system and political failures during their journey to advocate and help repair the broken system.

The author, Carla Conti, offers an eye-opening expose of the many failures in the justice system by detailing each encounter, step, and setback completely and vividly. She reveals in great detail the personal, physical, and emotional drain each suffered throughout the process as well as the level of frustration and fear. The dialogue was rich and authentic, allowing the listener to become fully immersed in the narrative. She connected the cover to the theme of the storyline and the personal relationships beautifully. The sections about the election were a bit surprising as it did not seem to hold a prevalent place in the Kevin Sanders narrative. This felt a bit like venting and justification for being mad at a friend who drew her into this situation.

As the narrator, Carla Conti did an excellent job of speaking clearly and maintaining a steady delivery. Her smooth flow, deliberate pauses, and sighs effectively conveyed the emotions felt by each character. She presented the narrative in a captivating style.

This is a fascinating and revealing narrative about the prison system, gangs, and varying levels of corruption. I found the book compelling and interesting but struggled to write this review due to Ms. Conti’s political rant. While the past decade has vividly exposed political corruption, her deep dive would have been more impactful if she had connected it more directly to the root causes of corruption within the judicial system.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook. It was clear and crisp.

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.