Shawshank immediately became my favorite movie as soon as I watched it. And to be completely honest I only read Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption and The Body out of this collection. But the way the Shawshank story explores the indecency in the American criminal system, how it examines the life of those behind bars, and the why behind the dreams trapped in our minds are all such powerful reminders about how grateful all of us with our freedom should be. Andy Dufresne is an interesting character, partly because we don’t really know if he actually committed the crimes he was imprisoned for, and partly because he is somewhat of a genius which is in stark contrast to the other prisoners at Shawshank. Now the short story is legitimately word for word of the movie, but I still think the book is worth reading. You get under the skin of some of the most powerful characters in all of literature, especially our narrator Red (played by Morgan Freeman). Red breaks down Andy’s anti-establishment persona from a point of view that has almost entirely forgotten about the outside world. This is a perspective that is teased at in other, and forgive me but lamer, prison stories that shines with such humanity. If you are a fan of the movie, or have yet to see Shawshank (what are you doing with your life?) definitely pick this one up because it is a quick 128 pages, it is powerful and you may just learn how to sneak out of jail.