| The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation maintains a list of books banned from circulation among the state's 90,000 prisoners. The forbidden books include "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood and books of paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Frida Kahlo, all of which the prison agency says "lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value." |
| It may come as no surprise, then, that some authors and publishers question the literary acumen of those folks who operate the state's prisons. The CDCR recently added another entry to its list of hundreds of "Disapproved Publications": the memoir of a former prisoner who has devoted himself to helping others live meaningful lives after prison. |
| The banned book is "What Kind of Bird Can't Fly: A Memoir of Resilience and Resurrection," by Dorsey Nunn and co-author Lee Romney. The state prison agency said that the book, published last year, was banned because it "presents a serious threat to facility security or the safety of incarcerated persons and staff." |
| Heyday Books publisher Steve Wasserman, who brought the book to print, said a CDCR lieutenant told him there were three scenes in the 368-page book that the agency objected to. One tells of an inmate making a weapon. Another recounts the death of a guard, which didn't involve Nunn. The third describes how Nunn once "traded in marijuana." |
| Why would prison officials be shocked by such scenes in a book about prison life and beyond? More importantly, Wasserman noted in a letter of protest, the ban ignores the repudiation of violence embedded in "What Kind of Bird Can't Fly." Nunn writes how, "with each dehumanizing act of aggression or transgression, I got closer to becoming a man I never wanted to be." |
| Reviewers have called Nunn and Romney's book "inspiring," "powerful" and a "page-turner." It describes how Nunn's role as an accomplice in the murder of a Hayward liquor store worker landed him in prison for more than 10 years. But the book focuses much more on Nunn's work over more than four decades to help other previously incarcerated people. |
| Nunn said in an interview that a crucial moment for him came late in his incarceration at the San Quentin prison, when a guard subjected him to a brutal body cavity search. He initially considered stabbing the guard in retaliation. But then came a fortuitous visit with attorney Michael Satris. Nunn remembered the renowned reform lawyer asking him: "'If you do that, do you think anything will change?' I said, 'Probably not.' He said, 'But if we sue them, we can actually change the policy.' It was a pivotal moment in my life." |
| Nunn, who turned 74 on Thursday, would go on to champion many other changes. He helped lead the campaigns to "ban the box," the requirement that those with felony convictions report them on employment applications, often disqualifying parolees from the very jobs that would help them stay out of trouble. He also helped restore voting rights for the roughly 35,000 Californians on parole, via the passage of Proposition 17 in 2020. |
| Nunn said he learned more from other men who were locked up than he did from anyone else. But he also credited books with teaching him about remorse and reconciliation. |
| "I read Malcolm X and he taught me I could be more than I was at the time of my arrest," Nunn said. "I read George Jackson [who wrote 'Blood in My Eye' in prison] and he taught me about oppression. I read Che Guevara and he made me think entire societies could be changed." |
| The Division of Adult Institutions at CDCR rejected Heyday's appeal in late November. A spokesperson for the prison system said it would not have time by Thursday to respond to a question about the banning of Nunn's book, along with queries about other puzzling books on the banned list, like the World War II survival tale "Unbroken" and "The Kite Runner," the acclaimed novel about life in war-torn Afghanistan. |
| Romney, an award-winning journalist, called the suggestion that Nunn's book would make prisons less secure "absurd." She said banning the book "denies those inside the walls a profoundly empowering message about what active healing and true remorse entails: a lifelong commitment not just to self improvement but to community building." |
Today's top stories |
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| Shelter resident Liliana Leyva brings Thanksgiving meals back to her room with her children Isaac, 3, and Amariz, 8, at the Woodland Hills Family Shelter. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) |
L.A. County households at threat of homelessness |
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California is hammered as national job cuts reach a five-year high |
- Job cuts across the country are the highest they have been in five years, with California employers announcing 173,022 job cuts from January to November, up nearly 14% from the same period last year, according to firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
- The tech industry led the state in job cuts, announcing 75,262 this year.
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Trump calls affordability a 'con job,' meanwhile Democrats push for affordable housing plan |
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What else is going on |
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Commentary and opinions |
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This morning's must reads |
| | | Dozens of residents, businesses and activists want Long Beach to crack down on crime, drunkenness, unregulated vending and loud noises from Belmont Shore. | | | |
Other must reads |
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| Keep up with California | Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. | | | | | |
For your downtime |
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| Children enjoy the occasional fake snowfall next to the Santa meet-and-greet at Sawdust Winter Fantasy in Laguna Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) |
Going out |
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Staying in |
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Question of the day: What do you wear when you fly? |
| Scott Eadie said, "I always wear nice blue jeans (no gaping holes) and a button down shirt. The shirt must have a pocket so I can stash my earbuds conveniently when not in use." |
| Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. |
And finally ... your photo of the day |
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| Lula of the band Kim Theory plays the guitar on stage during the band's EP Release Party at Backyard Party on Nov. 15, 2025 in Pasadena. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times) |
| Today's great photo is from staff photographer Ronaldo Bolaños of the band Kim Theory playing at Backyard Party, a new all-ages music venue on the border of Pasadena and Altadena. |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
| Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
June Hsu, editorial fellow
Andrew Campa, weekend reporter
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
| How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com. |
