The Prison Minyan

 Recommended to me by a friend, The Prison Minyan, by Jonathan Stone is a very unusual novel.  

Cleverly, Stone has built a novel around the news story that Michel Cohen, President Trump's, fixer was sentenced to prison and requested being sent to Otisville Prison.  This is a real minimum security prison 75 miles outside New York City. Because of the number of Jewish white collar criminals housed here they actually offer kosher meals, religious classes and Shabbat services.

In this novel we are introduced to thee minyan attendees.  Fifteen men who have been convicted of a variety of white collar crimes.  The rabbi leads the service and then leads the men in Talmud discussion afterwards.  Rabbi Morton Meyerson, in for five years for embezzling 3.5 million from his New Jersey congregation.  Among the members are Abe Rosen, an art dealer, in for forgery of old masters, Matt Sorcher, four years for funneling a portion his clients tax refunds electronically into his own account, Manny Levinson, serving six years for bribery and graft.  The list continues as we meet all the members of the minyan and also Big Willie, who is the prison guard who watches over this group of inmates. 

Life is pleasant for these men, taking a poetry class, exercising in the yard and eating delicious meals with treats like rugelach and blintzes.  When a new celebrity prisoner is introduced to the group things begin to change.  When the new prisoner nicknamed "The Pisk" joins the group unidentified outside forces, directed by an unnamed sitting president, attempt to make Otisville ever more unpleasant place for The Pisk and his fellow prisoners.  The minyan is slowly reduced to less than ten men being able to gather together. Then the chef is transferred and the rugelach and blintzes are gone.  

The prisoners decide to take matters in to their own hands.  Using their discussions about Judaism and the poetry writing class they participate in to look into the thoughts of these criminals, we watch them first use their abilities to change the system but also think about their crimes. 

The novel presents the ideas of right and wrong, teshuvah and repentance, exploring whether they can really change, learning from their mistakes or remain the same, learning instead how to be a better criminal, not to make the same mistake again that landed them in jail.  Using Talmud and Torah to set out the lessons they should learn the plot also touches on the Holocaust and White Nationalist and Anti Semitism.  An entertaining plot with serious messages.