Useful skills that can translate into jobs on the outside are always in high demand but not donated a lot. Everything from electricians manual to plumbing and HVAC.
Trade / How to - HVAC, Plumbing, Etc
Law and Legal Resources
Law books are extremely important for people who are incarcerated Black’s Law Dictionary, NOLO resources and the Prisoner’s Self Help Litigation Manual are specific books that we get asked for regularly.
Illegal to Legal
Illegal to Legal : Business Success For The (Formerly) Incarcerated by R. L. Pershaw “A superb, all-in-one business startup manual with the proper dose of motivational wisdom; uniquely targets an audience for whom options in life may often appear to be limited.”
This book and its companion work book are an incredible resource for the many people looking to start their own businesses when they get released from prison. This book is requested directly but also sent when people ask us about starting a business!
LGBTQ - Fiction and Non-Fiction
LGBTQ identified prisoners are especially vulnerable and are often not given the support and care they need. Prison libraries particularly lack books in this genre. We get tons of letters asking for LGBTQ focused books both non-fiction and fiction.
Arts & Crafts / Hobbies
One of the things we're trying to help inspire in people is their creativity and a great resource is books on making crafts and books on how to begin as an artist.
Non-Judeo/Christian Religions
A lot of prisons have Christian books made available through their chaplain, but different information regarding alternate religions is harder to find. We also have in our arsenal many Judeo-Christian texts. We're looking for religious texts outside of that realm. Islam, Wicca and Pagan are especially popular.
Puzzles!
Crosswords, Sudoku, Word Find, Riddles, Mazes...you name it. Help people keep their minds active and bubbling by keep it engaged. We are always, ALWAYS in need of these books. They are in dire demand and people just seem to love them very much.
History (Pretty much all histories)
Pretty much any history will have it's place. History books are a very often requested item. There is a high demand for the following however: African-American, African, Native American.
Automotive / Car-related
Anything car-related. That means not only information on how to repair, fix, or augment the insides and outsides of a vehicle; but car enthusiast magazines and books that explore the histories and facts about vehicles and their manufacturers. Pretty much anything dealing with cars, motorcycles and other automotive machines would be appreciated.
Native American / Indigenous Authors
Looking for some awesome Native American books to donate? Check out this list:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/native-american
Horror / Vampire
Engaging Science Books (not necc. textbooks)
We are living in an information age and there is so much substance, and so much science. Textbooks do come in handy, but they are dull, too direct and heavy (which weighs on shipping costs). We prefer to send popular science books to intrigue inmates about new facts and technologies. Books about space are in particular high demand.
Hood / Urban Novels (African-American protagonist)
Writers in this category: Sister Souljah, Donald Goines, Walter Mosley, D. D. Bridges, Cortez Law III, Hugh Holton, Karl Bollers, Rudolph Fisher, Ernest Tidyman, Chester Himes, Barbara Hambly, Joe Martin, K'wan, Bobby Rodgers, Silk White, Sa'Rese Thompson, Leo Sullivan, Zane, T. Styles, Tracey Price-Thompson, Danielle Santiago, Wahida Clark, Terry Woods
Want a better idea of the best Hood / Urban novel selections? Check out these lists:
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4770._This_Is_The_Definition_Of_Urban_Fiction_
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/79235.Best_Black_sleuths_Detectives_and_gumshoes
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/263.Good_Urban_Literature
Mythology (all cultures)
Greek, Celtic, Hindu, Chinese, Polynesian, Japanese, African...
The list goes on. Every culture has deities, iconography and myth. These are fascinating stories and in high demand. If you have any old mythology books lying around, make use of them by donating them today!
Small Business Ideas / Self-Employment
Super Hero Comics; Manga; Graphic Novels
Superhero comics: There are tons of requests for comics by prisoners. Comics are a great way to get casual or non-readers to become engaged with literature and stories because of the association with other worlds and pictures. Comics are surprisingly complex and deal with huge themes which are quintessential in finding moral or heroic associations with real life.
Manga comics are great. Preferably ones printed in English, though not necessary.
Graphic Novels are basically comics, but less about serial issues and more about a one-off narrative. They are usually a little less about heroes and more about complex, regular individuals; though that's not completely what sets them apart from comics. Basically, they're comics that adults read and are called something else so that adults can feel they're intelligent when they say the words, "graphic-novel". But they are children, these adults, and children are all fantastic thinkers when they're reading good stories.
