True Notebooks

Salzman, Mark. True Notebooks. Vintage, 2004

Mark Salzman paints a vivid and engaging portrait of the young men with whom he works in California Juvenile Justice System. The violent offenders come alive and appear endearing, with the stroke of his pen.

Salzman approaches his subject matter with his readers in mind; he appears to be aware that we will agree with his father in thinking that perhaps this is a little insane and very unsafe. But by the time we arrive at Kevin’s trial we are rooting for him. The project that the book presents, represents, Inside Out Writers remains successful in the Los Angeles area despite the fact that most of the adolescents the program works with are violent offenders with little hope of moving outside of the system.

From a craft perspective, I did not expect to find the text engaging. I was impressed with Salzman’s insertion of his personal notebook entries. He related his fears and hopes on a very intimate level. He kept his reader aware of his own ambivalence towards this project while never letting go of his desire to support these broken children in our society. The juxtaposition of these opposing feelings make the read profound and engaging. Throughout, Salzman reminds the reader that he understands his reader may think him irrational. He allows his reader to scrutinize him and make their own judgments about how rational or irrational this endeavor is. I have not read any of Salzman’s other work, but would be surprised if he did not use this approach elsewhere it seemed such a natural fit to his writing style.

He chose from what had to be depressing visits to a maximum security juvenile facility moments of brightness and humor. The Mr. Rodgers episode springs immediately to mind. In one small scene he conveys the painful past these young men have experienced as well as their tender years and jaded perspective on life. Salzman has a sharp eye and a keen wit –both of which served him well in the situation.