How much power should a government have? How should it be exercised and regulated, and for what purposes should it be used? These have been important questions throughout history–but dangerous to ask. Speaking truth to power has generally put a person at risk, and some of the world’s most well-known political figures, philosophers, and artists were sent to prison for doing so. Some used their time behind bars to write important and influential books. Gandhi has this in common with Hitler, as well as with Martin Luther King Jr. and Cervantes.

Here is a wide-ranging examination of great books written, in whole or in part, while their authors were in prison or exile. Each chapter explores a different text, and contains a short biography of the writer, a summary of the circumstances surrounding their imprisonment, and a critical examination of the book and its legacy.

Many voices of protest have been silenced by prison or execution, but some managed to make themselves heard loud and clear–and did so under the most difficult circumstances. The ideas and actions of the authors represented here have helped to shape the course of history, and to forge our collective identity.