Talk: Running The Books (Non-fiction)

As we head into this month’s gathering, we’re stepping inside a world most of us rarely see with Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian by Avi Steinberg.
In this sharp, funny, and unexpectedly moving memoir, Steinberg takes a job as a prison librarian in Boston—less out of calling, more out of curiosity—and finds himself immersed in a complicated ecosystem of inmates, stories, power dynamics, and the strange magic of books behind bars. What unfolds is part social commentary, part personal reckoning, and part love letter to literature itself.
This month, we’ll dig into questions about redemption, identity, justice, and the quiet power of stories. It’s a book that manages to be witty and sobering in the same breath—and it opens the door to conversations that are thoughtful, layered, and very human.

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### Agenda for the Meetup

10:30 AM – Warm welcomes & quick introductions
10:45 AM – Discussion of key themes: incarceration, humanity, second chances, and the role of books in unlikely places
11:15 AM – Reflections, standout moments, and passages that stuck with you
11:30 AM – Meeting officially wraps…
11:45 AM – ☕ Optional lunch and casual conversation at a nearby restaurant!

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### Who’s Invited?

This group is open and inclusive, welcoming all men—gay, bi, straight, or however you identify—who enjoy good books, thoughtful dialogue, and conversations that linger long after the last chapter.
If you’ve ever believed books can change a life—or at least complicate one beautifully—this one’s for you.