England 2018: The Clink Prison Museum

Midway through my week in London, I woke up early to walk across town to The Clink Prision Museum. With so many different attractions in London, The Clink Prison Museum is not likely to be at the top of a visitor’s “must see” list, but it should. Clink Prison was one of the oldest prisons in England: it opened in 1144 and ran until the late 1700’s. The museum is now located on the original location of the prison and provides a detailed look at crime and punishment in previous centuries.

It was a beautiful, sunny morning when I set off and I got quite lost. I can think of worst things than getting lost in London, especially when I wasn’t actually in a hurry. I found a beautiful outdoor shopping center, where I recharged with a Starbucks latte and discovered this steampunk ship.

I also walked across the London Bridge to find a memorial for the 2017 terrorist attacks on the other side. I was quite startled, because I didn’t realize that I was visiting a year after the attack. I spent some time looking at the flowers and notes that people had left on the bridge. It was a sobering and reflective part of my vacation. I also had an uncomfortable realization that I had forgotten about the attack, because similar events have become a normal part of the news. The idea that this has become part of the norm is sickening.

On my walk, I found The Golden Hinde, which was the first ship to circumnavigate the globe and was captained by Sir Francis Drake. The ship is now docked and acts as a living history museum with actors dressed as pirates.. I definitely plan on visiting The Golden Hinde on my next trip to London, but on this morning, it was very crowded with tour groups.

By mid-morning, I found myself at the foreboding entrance to The Clink Prison Museum. The entrance looks like a dungeon and I had to walk down a dark set of stairs to the bottom. I’m a chicken and really can’t handle “scare actors,” jumping out at me, so not only did I read reviews to make sure that I wouldn’t experience jump-scares, but I confirmed it with the employee who sold me my ticket.

Admission was only eight pounds and I also received a souvenir guide book. Although I did not take part, the museum offers guided tours and ghost hunts. I would definitely consider another visit with a tour to take a deep dive into the history. Of special note for Americans, The Clink was the origin of the Mayflower settlers, who spent time in the prison for their separatist beliefs, eventually founding their religious philosophy that would carry them to the new world.

The Clink Prison Museum is family friendly and to make it more enticing for kids, they have many of the exhibits marked with signage that is directly aimed at children, with a friendly cartoon rat explaining some of the realities of life in The Clink. I think they did a good job at making heavy topics and scary imagery palatable for kids, however, The Clink is likely to be frightening to many. I was alone during most of my visit, however, I saw one family with younger elementaryaged kids, leave crying. I think this is best for older elementary or junior high aged children.

Here are some examples of the rat signage. I like the one about debt- yikes!

The creepiest thing in The Clink Prison Museum is all of the mannequins. Walking alone in the museum, through the dimly-lit halls with these mannequins, gave me the chills. I’m not sure that I would be able to work in this museum, especially if I had to walk through it alone at opening or closing. When I was in my 20’s, I worked for Universal Studios Hollywood in the theme park and I often had to walk the tracks of the attractions. I was always a bit fascinated and freaked-out by the animatronics.

I have no idea why I took this picture or what it is referencing, but there is just so much going on, that I had to share it…

Unlike modern prisons, those imprisoned at The Clink, had to pay for all of their needs, including food. Those who could not pay, had to beg through gates and hope that citizens would take mercy on them.

Many prostitutes found themselves a new home in The Clink.

Not only was the museum built on the original site of The Clink, but they were able to preserve an original piece of the prison wall.

There was an exhibit showing various medical quackery and ideas regarding charms for warding-off problems. The hat has real human teeth.

The most horrific part of the museum details different torture techniques. The creativity used to cause suffering is incredible.

The last part of the museum is in memory to the people imprisoned at The Clink, including Charles Dicken’s father, who was in for debt.

The Clink Prison Museum is a worthy addition to your London itinerary. It only takes about two hours to tour and is located close to many other attractions, such as the Tate Modern.

Book Review: Lisa Lutz's The Swallows

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Ballantine Books for providing me with a copy of Lisa Lutz’s novel, The Swallows, in exchange for an honest review.

Shortly after joining the faculty of Stonebridge Academy, an elite boarding school, creative writing professor Alexandra Witt, begins to notice that dark secrets are being kept amongst the students. The faculty turns a blind-eye out of fear and the professor whom Alexandra had been hired to replaced left under mysterious circumstances. Despite several warnings, Alexandra is determined to reveal the truth.

I’m drawn to stories that take place at boarding schools. I’ve always loved going to school and ever since I was a young child, I had romantic ideas of what it would be like to attend a boarding school. The setting for The Swallows does not disappoint. The campus is lush and the students are privileged. Lutz explores the “Upstairs/Downstairs” aspect of showing perspectives from both the wealthy students and the mostly average-means faculty. These are kids accustomed to power via the privilege that comes with wealth.

The Swallows is both a mystery and suspense novel, but it is also a commentary on our times with the “Me Too” movement. At Stonebridge Academy, there is a strong hierarchy of popular students, which includes a fluid ranking of the top male and female students, but within this group, the boys have their own club. Within this “boys club",” they use their influence against the girls by creating a secret, sex driven ranking system. Alexandra is the type of teacher who easily bonds with teenagers and as she learns what the boys are doing, she uses her influence to help the girls stand-up for themselves. However, it is not as simple as pointing out the wrongs, the girls want revenge for their humiliation.

One of the more interesting twists comes from a student who begins a nightly ritual across campus. Her silent walks with a loud scream at the end, pick-up steam and soon she has begun an entire movement. She never speaks to the meaning of her ritual and others assume that it is in response to her having been raped or assaulted. She never confirms or denies the reason and her actions explode in popularity, attracting the attention of the national news. This situation blurs the lines between reality and the way society likes to attach meaning to situations, regardless of the truth. She becomes a symbol of a movement, simply because her actions seem like they reflect the pain of a woman who has been harmed by men.

Although there are intriguing aspects to The Swallows, I didn’t find myself completely gelling with the story. It was uneven in pacing and I found a lot of it to reek of “shock value,” in a way that made it hard for me to believe or connect. I didn’t entirely dislike The Swallows, but it was a solid 3 out of 5 for me. The most interesting aspect is the ways that the various characters use power to their advantage and this alone made it a worthwhile read.

Book Review- Megan Phelps-Roper's Unfollow

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with a copy of Megan Phelps-Roper’s memoir, Unfollow: a Memoir of Loving and Leaving The Westboro Baptist Church, in exchange for an honest review.

Unfollow is a memoir of faith and forgiveness that details Megan Phelps-Roper’s decision to leave the controversial Westboro Baptist Church. The church was founded and headed by Megan’s grandfather, Fred Phelps and is famous for its aggressive protest campaigns.

If you live in the United States, it’s very unlikely that you haven’t heard about the Westboro Baptist Church. They are constantly in the news for their hate-filled attacks towards what they believe is sinful behavior, such as homosexuality, even going as far as to protest at funerals of those whom they believe are sinners. The church is considered by many to be a hate group and they certainly do not shy away from hateful speech in efforts to have their message heard. They relish the attention and media coverage, including leveraging it to their advantage by arguing with those who disagree with their tactics.

I found Phelps-Roper’s memoir to be eye-opening and honest. I knew about their protests, but I didn’t know anything about the members of the church or its structure. The Westboro Baptist Church is comprised almost entirely of members of the Phelps’ family. It’s a small group. It rarely has outsiders join and therefore, is a very insulated group. I wrongly assumed that they would behave more like other conservative fringe groups, but what Phelps-Roper revealed was surprising to me. For example, the kids attended a regular school and were very familiar with pop culture, such as current music and movies. Pop culture was not forbidden or sinful. Although they had a modesty dress-code, it was probably even more liberal than other churches and did not become more restrictive until Phelps-Roper was an adult and deciding to leave the church.

The Phelps family is highly educated and above all, law degrees are prized. Fred Phelps was a lawyer and he encouraged his children to follow in his path, including Phelps-Roper’s mother. The women in the church take a very active role, using their education to fight lawsuits and also fight for their protections under freedom of speech. I suppose that this shouldn’t be surprising, as the Westboro Baptist Church has operated a shocking campaign for many years and has been able to defend their right to do so. I think most people, myself included prior to this book, would be surprised to learn that they are a very educated group of people with strong women.

I was also surprised that in his early years, Fred Phelps was a strong defender of civil rights. This is such a contradiction, as Phelps is in many ways a villain, yet he was also a strong activist, using his legal background to help the black community.

Phelps-Roper’s memoir is about a girl raised in the faith of The Westboro Baptist Church. She spent her childhood and young adult years at protests and believing the faith of her family. She even took on a stronge leadership role when she became an adult, which included spearheading their social media campaign. Yet, she was always questioning and engaging with people who had different beliefs. It took many years, but over time she began to have a crisis of faith. This crisis occurred around the same time that her church was undergoing changes, including a rise in male leadership and a suppression of women. She grew up in a church where every church member’s voice was heard, but now hers was being minimized. She saw terrible things happening to her immediate family, when they were accused of breaking church rules. She also began to see the ways to interpret the Bible and had doubts about her church doctrine.

I had mixed emotions for Phelps-Roper, as she made her decision to leave the church. Leaving the church mean’t a total cut-off from her family and although she left at the same time as her younger sister, Grace, they were two young women who were very alone in the world. I feel like it is important to make clear that I don’t agree with any of their principals, nor their tactics. I think what the Westboro Baptist Church does is disgusting. As much as I want to defend their and anyone else’s right to freedom of speech, I feel their sentiments are hate speech. It’s reprehensible. That said, I can’t image the bravery that it takes to make the decision to leave both your faith and your family. in addition, Phelps-Roper is a public figure and she had to leave under the scrutiny of the public eye, especially of those whom she hurt through her previous actions.

The amazing thing is how her memoir shifts to forgiveness. Phelps-Roper found many friends from those whom she had protested against and considered sinners. She was welcomed with many hugs and much forgiveness. It seemed like the people she had harmed were actually more willing to offer her forgiveness, than she was towards herself. Phelps-Roper continues to make amends by publicly speaking about her childhood in the church and writing books, such as Unfollow.

Unfollow is an important memoir for the insight that it provides. It’s very easy to hate groups like the Westboro Baptist Church, but it isn’t easy to take a deeper look at them. I still consider their speech and tactics to be hateful, but I also have a broader understanding of what it would be like to grow-up in that world and what it truly means to both seek and give forgiveness.