Join our mission-driven book club, EmBOSSed. Ignite your own growth through inspiring self-development books and we will send an identical set of books to someone in prison. You’ll fuel another person’s comeback. You’re not just building your story- you’re helping someone else rewrite theirs.

OUR MISSION

To inspire incarcerated men and women to adopt new perspectives and healthier thought processes through reading select books aimed at self-development.

OUR VISION

To implement EmBOSSed Book Clubs in all state and federal prisons across the United States.

In proud partnership with
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Time is a double-edged sword in prison. Too many incarcerated men and women waste their time:

  • Harboring depression
  • Engaging in criminal behavior
  • Fostering aggression
  • Not striving to better themselves (mentally, physically or emotionally)
STUDIES SHOW

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “More than 650,000 ex-offenders are released from prison every year, and studies show that approximately two-thirds will likely be rearrested within three years of release.” *

1 INMATE + 1 BOOK =
OPPORTUNITY
FOR GROWTH

EmBOSSed Book Club is making a difference by:

  • Providing positive, thought provoking books
  • Encouraging prosocial activity by meeting in a group setting
  • Focusing on constructive themes such as Purpose, Empathy, Proactivity and Accountability

THE BOSS UP
READING CHALLENGE

Step into a year of growth that goes beyond yourself. When you join the BOSS UP Reading Challenge, you’re not just committing to your own development—you’re helping someone inside prison do the same.

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Each month for twelve months, you’ll receive a book aimed at self-development—carefully selected to inspire and challenge you. At the same time, an incarcerated individual will receive their own gently used copy of that same book, creating a shared journey of transformation.

The twelfth book will be different: while your final book is a surprise selected for impact, the incarcerated reader will receive a quarterly rotating Inmate’s Choice—a self-development title chosen by participants.

To preserve the integrity and safety of the program, all subscriptions are completely anonymous. There will be no direct contact or correspondence between subscribers and incarcerated participants at any point.

At the end of the challenge, both you and your inside partner will receive an official EmBOSSed Challenge Coin—a symbol of commitment, resilience, and growth and a Certificate of Achievement.

Incarcerated participants do not keep the books they receive. Each title is passed on to the next member of their unit’s book club, creating a cycle of impact and sustainability. To honor their efforts, upon completion of the Challenge, each participant will additionally receive one gently used copy of the book that impacted them the most.

Your support also helps EmBOSSed Book Club provide employment opportunities to formerly incarcerated men and women—offering a second chance that extends beyond paperbacks and into paychecks.

Read with purpose. Lead with impact.

Join the BOSS UP Reading Challenge today!

Not ready for the full challenge? Start with just one book.

If you’re not ready to commit to the full 12-book journey, you can still make a difference—one book at a time.

With our à la carte option, you can purchase one or more powerful self-development books for yourself, and we’ll send an identical gently used copy to someone in prison. Your support fuels real change—for you and for them.

Each book you purchase:

  • Helps you grow through practical, purpose-driven reading
  • Provides the same transformative content to someone incarcerated
  • Supports a system of sustainability and reuse—inside book clubs pass the books forward
  • Helps employ formerly incarcerated men and women through our fulfillment and logistics operations

You choose the pace. You choose the impact.

Start with one book today!

EMBOSS (verb)

Em•BOSS: 1) To make a lasting, raised impression. 2) To leave a distinguishing mark.

“The buzz is authentically real; we speak throughout the weeks of our books now individually on the yard in passing [having] conversations with family and friends that would probably never have happened without this program.”

T.E. incarcerated 12 years

“EmBOSSed Book Club helped me challenge myself to grow more by having us read things other than urban novels or just watching t.v.”

L.F. incarcerated 10 years

“I get to spend time in a more positive and productive way. This is an awesome and positive thing for me, and I am sure it would be for many others here.”

M.S. incarcerated 30 years

“Reading good books in prison can plant seeds of hope, healing and self-discovery…EmBOSSed Book Club is about to change lives…”

Magaly Cano
Correctional Officer & Heal Your Life Facilitator

“Having a book club elevates those incarcerated…They have an opportunity to share thoughts and feelings with others whom they may never have communicated with previously…They are learning from each other. Disagreements are not personal and are an opportunity for considering another point of view. EmBOSSed Book Club creates a safe community of thoughtful interaction.”

Suzy Clarke
Volunteer Alternatives to Violence Project Coordinator Arizona

EmBOSSed Book Club is the brainchild of Christine Ciana Calabrese, a former Correctional Officer and Counselor at both the ADCRR Lewis and Perryville Complexes. She is best known for helping others find their purpose through teaching the concept of Ikigai, and for “getting sh*t done”.

MEDIA

Do you have a favorite book that you think those incarcerated would benefit from reading? Do you have a loved one incarcerated in a facility that needs to know about EmBOSSed Book Club? Do you simply want to share a comment, question or idea? We’d love to hear from you!

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Our Commitment to Upcycling

Upcycling:
To reuse materials in a way that adds value- helping people and the planet.
Books Reborn:
We recycle and redistribute quality books to supporters and incarcerated readers.
People Empowered:
We create paid opportunities for justice-impacted & unhoused individuals.

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

Margaret J. Wheatley