Ghost Tango: for a dangerous man with a beautiful mind

Janeen Ledford
W.L. Ransom Press (2008)
ISBN 9780979783036
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (10/08)


“Ghost Tango” tells the story of a woman who is the only female instructor in a men’s prison that holds violent felons.  She teaches as a GED instructor.  She chooses not to learn about the crimes that her students have committed.  This enables her to treat them with more respect and not identify each person for their crimes.  She is given many rules which are in place to protect her; one of which is that she cannot divulge personal information to the inmates.  She circumvents this rule a bit in the lessons that she creates for her students.  She writes essays about life in Appalachia where she grew up and has now returned.  These essays take the prisoners out of their prison and into a different world.

In turn, the prisoners begin to write their own stories that are about where they came from and how they ended up in prison.  The teacher encourages them to continue their educations so that they won’t end up back where they started.  She also finds herself drawn to an attractive Cuban prisoner who is supposed to be very dangerous.  As she struggles with her attraction to him, she continues to encourage him to better himself.

This teacher has a lot to learn for herself. As she is teaching, her eyes are opened to prison politics and the rampant racism that exists among the inmates.  The prison is a learning place for all. 

“Ghost Tango” by Janeen Ledford tells a very compelling story.  Written in a cursive style font, it made me feel more like I was peeking into a woman’s private diary.  Even though it is a fictional story, it seemed very real to me.  The author’s descriptions are very vivid and brought both the Appalachian setting and the prison setting to life.  I found myself reflecting on the story long after I was done reading.  I highly recommend this novel.

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