I started off enjoying this book until about 40% of the way through. When Chris was talking about his personal experiences and those of others around the prison it was a really good read, and because it was from a personal perspective it really flowed well. However it soon became too much about politics and statistics so I lost interest. Shame but just not for me in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read A Bit of a Stretch pre-publication. I was putting off reading it but It is great. A 'warts and all' read of life inside Wandsworth prison. The contrast between this book and what the press put out to all us unsuspecting readers is quite stark. I highly recommend this book to all those who just want a reading topic that is a bit different. Great !

This was a really interesting read and one that I hope politicians will read and use as a call to action. The first hand perspective of serving a sentence in a prison such as HMP Wandsworth definitely serves as a deterrent if you were ever tempted to commit a crime (so maybe should become required reading for students at risk of offending that are identified in schools).

Overall I found the book to be compelling and well written and I hope that Chris Atkins is never in a position to write a follow up to this piece of work!!!

Chris Atkins produces documentaries and become embroiled in a tax evasion scheme to fund a documentary that he was working on. He was sentenced to 5 years at Wandsworth Prison. His diaries follow his prison journey until his release.
I was really looking forward to reading this book as I have read and enjoyed some other ‘diaries’ recently. This book is interesting as it doesn’t sensationalise anything, it just tells it how it is. Chris doesn’t shy away from the unpleasant goings on in the prison system and some parts make for an uncomfortable read.
I appreciate that the journey of Chris’ diary had to be complete through until he was released from prison, but I felt too bogged down with information for me to really enjoy this book. I felt there were too many references and facts which drew me away from the main story. The book became just too long and drawn out for me to really enjoy it very much.

I always enjoy a non-ficion own account and this book was no different. I love learning about parts of life I am (hopefully) unlikely to experience and prison is one of those. It very much pulled me in and had me wanting to learn more. Very interesting.

* I was provided with an e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I have so many mixed feelings about this book and some of them people are not going to like!

Chris Atkins is a documentary producer who become embroiled in a tax evasion scheme to fund a documentary that he was working on. He was sentenced to 5 years but would only need to be in prison for 2.5 years.

Chris has a young son who he shares with his ex and fortunately for him is very supportive and still friends. Being sentenced to Wandsworth prison one of the most notorious prisons in the UK is mentally challenging for Chris as he is unable to see his son until a certain amount of time has been paid, boxes ticked, signed and stamped. This book gives you a look into the life of a prisoner, how it works and runs on a daily basis (or lack of). All Chris has on his mind is his son and getting categorised to level 'D' which will move him to an open prison which will take months.

Chris is a documentary producer, the fact that he decided to write his experience down on paper was a no-brainer, however he would be scrutinising everything with a journalistic eye rather than the average 'Joe Bloggs' The conditions of the prison that he describes is pretty dire...but what do you expect!? Prison isn't supposed to be a walk in the park, it is a punishment! As the old saying goes.. .'Dont do the crime, if you can't pay the time'
I can definitely understand the suicide rates, the lack of mental health services. The system is lacking staff and the prison is working still on an old school computer system or even just paper filing and things are getting missed, such as visitations and re-categorisations which will obviously be frustrating for prisoners who have something to look forward to. To get to nicer areas of the prison, Chris takes on multiple jobs, which gets him out of his cell but also time to phone his son without being stared at menacingly. Chris meets several prisoners throughout the book who he had built friendships with, he also becomes a 'Listener' in other words a Samaritan for suicidal inmates and will get called up pretty often. Chris discusses the illiteracy of the prisoners and how it affects them re-offending. The amount of Spice that is being smuggled into prisons is crazy, it's getting there either by bent screws, drones or from visitors. Spice is so potent and dangerous people actually look like zombies and passively inhaling it really effects you too.

This covers a lot of topics and goings on with in the prison system but I wouldn't say this has any humour to it that I have seen advertised/mentioned...what it is;is concerning.
I think this is going to do really well, I have seen it advertised in papers and online articles since reading. And no doubt he will have connections but mostly people just want to read what it's really like. Is it as bad as they all say it is? As myself never being in prison or even arrested, this a guilty pleasure, a taboo subject that piques everyone's interests.

I found this book fascinating. It seemed to be a truly honest and insightful view of the prison system in England and, though not sensationalised in anyway, was a complete page-turner. Chris Atkins background as a documentary maker obviously helped him tell his story in a way that draws the reader in, and as the book goes on I found myself thinking 'Somebody needs to do something about this! If only they knew what was really happening'. Though I I'm sure 'they' do know but just lack the will to see through changes.
I've already been recommending this book to my book club and anyone else who'll listen. A great read.

What a real eye opener of a read. Chris's voice came across so well and I felt like I was there along with him at times. His stories really made me think. I like to think that I don't have the view that the majority of the British public have of prisons, but even so this really struck a chord with me.

Insightful, funny, and equally heartbreaking - I am so glad that I read A Bit of a Stretch.

A true insight to the world of life in prisons, equal parts fascinating and troubling to read. Even the funny parts alleviated the weight of what could only be absurd situations where real people are demoted below the very basics of human decency. Some of the sentences just sit with the reader for a while, thinking about the harsh reality that we are not exposed to ourselves. The first part of the book was easy reading though I did lose a little interest in the second half. Overall a really interesting look-in to prison life, though.

Loved this book, could read so so much more of Chris' tales. So interesting to read about life in prison and the various characters that he came across during his time there. Shocking insight into prison life and how human beings are being treated in this day and age.

I wasn’t sure which way I would go with this book, I love anything true crime, police procedural etc and was fascinated to read from a prisoners prospective, it made for an interesting read and I had mixed feelings, yes I believe you commit a crime you do the time but I also believe prisoners should have basic necessities such as showering, toilet facilities, access to outdoors, food etc. I think there is a fine line between punishment and yet also reforming prisoners I don’t believe they should have it “cushy” and shouting about their human rights, as criminals who have broken the law what about the human rights of the people you committed crimes against. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found it interesting to see the situation from a different prospective. I’m still of mixed opinions with regards to our legal system but an interesting read.

This book is an absolute eye-opener. The grim tale of life in Wandsworth prison is fascinating and should be mandatory reading for all Ministry of Justice officials who, frankly, make one despair after reading this book. Chris Atkins never wallows in self-pity and this gives his story authenticity. Highly recommended.

Gripping read - but mixed emotions right through, probably because I read it at the time of the London Eridge episode. Half the time my thinking was "how did they get it so wrong, handling these vulnerable people that way", and the other half was "well, whatever they do, it doesn't seem to work" My first reaction was to write a very positive review for local magazine readers, then I thought about the likely reaction to a positive review and decided on discretion. On the whole, then, a useful contribution to the debate about prison regimes, but a book to be read when passions post-Streatham have subsided a bit.

'A Bit of a Stretch' is an eye-opening book that I couldn't put down. I'm amazed at how well Atkins got across the horror, the humour, heartbreak, frustration and tedium of being in prison. It really is an unvarnished account, though Atkins had an easier time than most prisoners he clearly shows the appalling conditions they faced as well.

The only thing I didn't like was that it finished too soon. After all the build up to getting to an open prison we didn't really get to see it. I'm left knowing almost nothing about how it works, routines or rules. However, I do understand that the experiences there fall outside of the scope of this book and would dilute Atkins' message.

On an academic level this book is a fascinating insight into the inner workings of a system that most of us will thankfully never see. On a human level we see all the tragic flaws of a system that isn't working and needs to change. It is not acceptable and I hope that shining this light into the dark corners will help.

Loved this book. Loved the humour in it, very funny in places, great insight to prisons, and heart-breaking in places.
A great read.

A Bit of A Stretch is an insightful look at life inside a UK prison, specifically HMP Wandsworth. Chris Atkins shares his brutally honest account of his time there based on diaries he kept. This book will keep you gripped from start to finish. I would definitely recommend!

‘A Bit Of A Stretch’ refers to time spent in prison being known as ‘a stretch’ but how anyone could read this book and think that any time spent in UK prisons could be described as a bit of anything other than dehumanising misery in a totally hopeless and failed system, is beyond me.
I have, over the past year, read Mim Skinner’s ‘Jailbirds’ and Dr Amanda Brown’s ‘The Prison Doctor’, and whilst I rate both of those highly, if you choose to read just one book about prisons in the UK today, please make it Chris Atkins’ book.
Chris Atkins was a journalist and filmmaker before he was sentenced to five year’s imprisonment for his part in a tax evasion scheme. His part was relatively minor, but as he fully acknowledges, he was part of a much bigger scheme which is why his sentence was so high.
Chris had no previous contact with prisons before entering HMP Wandsworth at the start of his sentence. He started a journal whilst in there and this book is a result of those journals (together with his extensive research on prisons in general). This makes for great reading and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in prison life or prison reform. It should also be read by anyone who thinks that prison is an easy life with PlayStations and very luxury a person could ever want.
Chris tells his own story, which he able to make surprisingly amusing and light at times, whilst also telling the plight of others in Wandsworth and talking of what can, and should be done, to reform prisons today and sets out cogent arguments as to why this would be more effective both inmates and for the public at large.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Chris Atkins shares a brutally honest and shocking account of his time in HMP Wandsworth, one of the worst prisons in the UK.

The book is based on diaries Atkins kept during his time in prison, and is an eye-opener to how the prison system is failing and just doesn't work; the system really does need a shake-up! It's well researched (and I do not just mean by Atkins being an inmate!), with lots of facts and figures about the system.

Atkins introduces many interesting characters - inmates he met along the way as well as prison officers. Some do stay with you long after you have put the book down; it's hard to forget they are real people.

A great read for anyone who loves real-life crime!

An insightful and brutally honest look at life in prison, in this case HMP Wandsworth, it’s shocking and at times funny, not sure it’s intentional and at other points you wish the author was joking. This memoir keeps you gripped from beginning to end. A really good insight into prison life


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A Bit of A Stretch was the prison memoir I wanted when I picked up Orange Is The New Black a few years ago and ended up not loving it.
This covers the authors time at Wandsworth prison and highlights all of the issues the prisoners in UK jails face thanks to a revolving door of uninformed politicians and ever-constant budget cuts.
An enlightening and infuriating read about the reality of prison life.