Taylor Sheridan’s debut book will teach readers ‘How to Not Die in Prison’
Taylor Sheridan has written many movies and television shows, but his latest project is something new.
Simon & Schuster announced last week that it will publish Sheridan’s debut book — “How to Not Die in Prison” — this summer on June 23. The book, cowritten by ex-con Tom Nelson, is described a “darkly funny survival guide to life in a maximum-security prison.”
“How to Not Die in Prison” teaches readers everything they need to know about surviving incarceration, including what to do during a prison riot, a lockdown, a stabbing, a hit and solitary confinement.
Readers will also learn about how not to go insane, making prison ramen, giving a prison tattoo and “allegedly” making a shiv.
“You might wonder what in the world gives me the knowledge or wisdom to write a survival guide to prison,” Sheridan writes in the book’s introduction. “Well, I’ll tell you—absolutely nothing. I’ve never been to prison. But, like every man, I’ve certainly wondered how I would survive if circumstances ever put me there. That morbid curiosity sent me on a journey to understand the politics and dangers of prison. When researching for ‘Mayor of Kingstown,’ I learned very quickly it’s way better to avoid going to prison than figuring out how to survive one.”
Taylor Sheridan writes book about surviving prison
Sheridan’s co-writer Tom Nelson has been “busted for everything from auto theft and assault and battery to armed robbery and drug dealing,” according to his bio on Simon & Schuster’s website.
Nelson spent more than 17 years as an inmate in maximum and medium-security prisons. After his time, Nelson became a father, husband and personal trainer.
“I wish I could’ve heeded Taylor’s advice all those years ago and read the (expletive) book, but that’s exactly the point: there was no (expletive) book to speak of because I hadn’t yet been spit out through the system and gained the knowledge that my co-author currently refers to as wisdom,” Nelson said in a press release. “Hey, one of us has written hit TV shows and Academy Award-nominated movies, and the other has spent much of his adult life behind bars in medium and maximum-security prisons. If that’s what makes for good wisdom and entertainment, I’ll take it.”
“How to Not Die in Prison” releases on June 23.
