In Black and White: 20 Yrs to Life Book Review

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

If I had a nickel for every time I reviewed a book that explored a black person’s experience in prison, I would have a dime for now. Last week, it was Freeman’s Challenge: The Murder That Shook America’s Original Prison for Profit by Robin Bernstein. Today, it’s In Black and White: 20 Yrs to Life: Doing time as a black correctional professional. On the other side of inside the fence by Theresa Granville, which relates the author’s experiences as a correctional officer in the Philadelphia area. Stories like these need to be told because it exposes the real dynamics of working in a prison. However, this one definitely needed more editing in order for readers to take it seriously.

In Black and White: 20 Yrs to Life is about one black woman’s time serving as a correctional professional in the PA State Corrections. According to urban research studies, Theresa could have ended up in the criminal justice system as an offender because of her circumstances growing up in Philadelphia. She believed it was divine-order that she found herself working in that system instead of being a criminal. It became a means of support since she was a single mom raising two sons. This allowed her to pursue a career as a public civil service employee. This book is her story of triumphs, trials, and eventually what she deems a win that details her journey in her 20-year career in the PA State Corrections.

Before I get started, I have something to share. One of my dearest friends used to work at a correctional facility as a librarian. A chunk of her story is similar to what Granville wrote In Black and White: 20 Yrs to Life. My friend had to cover herself up, so she wouldn’t attract unwanted attention from the prisoners. She worked at that place for 1-2 years. She realized that one needs to be strong and of a certain personality to be in a place like that; she felt that she wasn’t cut out for that line of work. Knowing my friend’s story makes me admire Theresa’s more because of what the latter went through and her decision to still work in a prison.

I adore Granville’s conversational tone. It made me feel that I was in the same room as her. I could imagine her voice as I read. In addition, I was emotionally invested to a degree because I wanted to know how she did it, how she survived working in a prison system. She went through several ordeals like dealing with racist higher ups, staff members who want to hook up, and the grudges they held when she refused to do what they wanted. I honestly can understand one has to be a certain personality to work in a prison, and Granville absolutely had it.

This has the potential to be a good memoir and one that can influence people. However, I couldn’t fully take it seriously because it was plagued with a lot of grammar errors. It’s not the first time that I encountered a self-published book that contained some pretty obvious mistakes. Last year, I looked at Six Days in Detox by Dianne Corbeau. Yes, it had errors that could have been corrected if an editor was present or looked at it closer, but they were minor compared to those in In Black and White: 20 Yrs to Life. These included typos, fragmented sentences, and odd word choices. They appeared on almost every page that I thought was a joke. 

But, those weren’t the biggest offenses. At one point, I noticed that there were two Chapter Nines, but only one was listed in the table of contents. I wondered why, yet once I read the second one, it was clear. Granville copied and pasted the first chapter in the other and elaborated on it. I genuinely don’t understand how no one noticed this before it was officially published. If someone did, the author could have easily shaved off 14 pages. If it was an advanced reader’s copy, I would be a little more lenient because those acknowledge that the titles aren’t corrected yet. This book has been out since June 2025.

I’ve never been more confused about a book than I was while reading In Black and White: 20 Yrs to Life: Doing time as a black correctional professional. On the other side of inside the fence by Theresa Granville. It has the potential to be a powerful story that instills hope in people, especially those looking to work in a prison system. On the other hand, it has some of the most glaring errors I’ve ever seen. They distracted me from being fully invested and enjoying the memoir. Let this be a lesson to those looking to write their own stories. Whatever you do, please get someone to look over your draft.

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