To be on the receiving end of oral or anal sex, or to masturbate a guy, would make you gay and would be a blow to your manhood and reputation. Therefore the 'boys' who have been 'turned out', be they straight or gay, are seen as fundamentally lacking in masculinity because of what they do. Two 'boys' having sex together would not be seen as a threat to their men because it would be seen, in a deeply twisted way, as 'lesbian' sex.

Parsell's story is well written and gives a fascinating glimpse into the world of sexual politics in prison. The story gets more complex as things turn semi-romantic with his 'man'. Later on in the book, Parsell falls in love for the first time with another 'boy'. Racial relations and well-intentioned but illogical laws also factor into the story.

The memoir has a somewhat open ending, stopping at a point that makes narrative sense, but leaves you wondering what happened during the last years in prison. There is a short follow-up, telling us what the most important people from the memoir are up to these days, but the last years in prison remain a blank spot. There is also a bittersweet correspondence between Parsell and his first real lover, and a short explanation of the reason why Parsell decided to drop his previous career to become the poster child for prison rape.

What I missed was a more extensive update on the state of affairs in prisons these days, many years after Parsell's incarceration. From what he does say, however, the things he wrote about still go on because the guards are lacking in numbers or turning a blind eye, and because sexual offenders are not prosecuted. People's psyches are still being violated and not just their minds: rates of HIV infection among prisoners are estimated to be five to ten times higher than outside of prison.

Parsell's book serves its purpose, both as a gripping read and a call to action. Let's hope the people in charge will be able to get over their secondhand shame, stop averting their eyes, and start facing the problem.