You Can Change: Stories from Angola Prison and the Psychology of Personal Transformation

Can people make positive changes in their lives that really last? Dr. Mark W. Baker has been trying to answer this question for the past twenty-five years as a clinical psychologist. To discover the answer, he went on a quest to find people who have changed their lives in the most dramatic ways, ending up in the largest maximum-security prison in the United States, located in Angola, Louisiana. Once the most brutal prison in the country, Angola was transformed into one of the most effective sites for rehabilitation in the United States. Baker uses stories from inside Angola, along with his decades of experience as a clinical psychologist, to share with readers the amazing human potential for change and personal growth. Drawing on themes of forgiveness, community, justice, hope, and spirituality, Baker shows all of us how to change our lives for the better–no matter who we are or what we’ve done.