Valerie Schultz almost stumbled into prison ministry, a happy accident of a beginning. Initially fearful of the scary people she'd meet and the dark place she'd be working, she found that some inmates were dangerous, but many were kind; some were mean and some were friendly; some were misogynistic and some were respectful; some were quiet and some were loud. In short, they were a lot like the non-incarcerated population. As Schultz went from volunteering to working in a clerical position and then running a library on a yard, she learned to see the prisoners as human beings. They possessed all the quirks and gifts and flaws, the nobility and the sin, that define humanity-every single one of them a human being created and loved by God. It was no challenge to find God in all things in prison, because God was palpably everywhere. In Overdue, Schultz shares what she learned and the grace she received during her fourteen years inside an American prison. Her experience and insights will transform how you see the people around you and the world we all share.

Contents: Introduction xi 000 Information & General Works Here's the Deal 1 Library Work 18 Used Books 20 Overdue 22 The Letter R 24 100 Philosophy & Psychology Precious and Precarious 27 The Grace of Acceptance 29 No In-Between 31 Psych Reports 33 Sex Offenders and Me: An Uneasy Alliance 36 200 Religion Visits with Brothers 40 Christmas in Captivity 45 A Thief in the Night 48 Unforgiven 51 A Congress of World Religions 58 300 Social Sciences Normal/Not-Normal 61 Men Are from Mars . . . 68 . . . Women Are from Venus 72 Institutionalization 73 Eat a Peach 74 Family Visits 78 A Moment of Silence 80 Inmate Turner 83 Lessons in Appreciation 86 400 Language The Work Glossary 88 Spanish Lessons 90 Stumped by the Code of Prison 92 The Language of Grief 95 500 Pure Science Inventions 98 Animal Lovers 101 Cat Lessons 104 Flies for Henrietta 106 Naturalists on the Yard 110 600 Technology Or Lack Thereof 113 College Comes to Prison 116 My Alarm 120 700 Arts & Recreation The Regulars 123 The Rumor Mill 128 Tattoos 132 The Things They Left in Books 134 Sports Fans 137 800 Literature The Transformative Power of the P Encyclopedia 139 Writing on the Inside 140 Getting the Written Word Out of the Prison 145 The Caged Bird 146