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“Emmett Tatter’s COUNT TIME is a searing, unforgettable and true account of one young man’s journey through our terribly flawed prison system, but it is also an inspiring testament to the power of human will and resilience. You go, Tatter!”
— Les Standiford, New York Times bestselling author of Last Train To Paradise and the John Deal mystery series
COUNT TIME
A Memoir
Status: Seeking literary representation
Word Count: 81,324 words
GENRE: Memoir | Social Justice | Prison Reform
About COUNT TIME
In prison, they call them count times. Five times a day, every day, during a ten year bid in Florida's most brutal prisons, I stood by my bunk and waited to be counted. 15,523 times I was reminded I wasn't a person; I was inventory. And that's not counting the recounts. This is the story of what happened between those headcounts.
“The corrupt Florida prison system nearly swallowed young inmate Emmett Tatter whole, but by will and wit, he survived and made his time count. He found comfort and wisdom in unlikely friendships, yoga, and books, from Harry Potter to The Count of Monte Cristo. Count Time is a page-turner and a thriller, a handbook in navigating violent gang life behind bars, but it is also a call to action for prison reform in this country.”
—Kim Bradley, author of Spillway (Florida Book Awards Silver Medalist); Associate Professor, Flagler College
PRAISE FOR COUNT TIME
“No more proof is needed that behind prison walls lies abundant untapped talent than this riveting account of prison life by Emmett Tatter. Far from portraying himself as a saint, Tatter provides us with a truthful description of his time inside, revealing questionable morality at times, also known as human behavior. All told in the most colorful and graphic manner.”
— PAMELA L. NORTH, former criminal defense attorney and retired Chief Circuit Court Judge
“Tatter is a beautiful, lyrical writer with a real story to tell. The world needs to hear his voice and heed his warnings—now more than ever
— DR. BAZ DREISINGER, Author, Incarceration Nation
Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Founder and Executive Director, Incarceration Nations Network
“Emmett Tatter is a gifted writer who has been through hell—much of it self-inflicted. COUNT TIME is a raw, wrenching, and vulnerable look at the years he spent behind bars. His story is a compelling argument for prison reform—and self-reform.”
— John DeDakis, novelist, writing coach, and former editor on CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer