r/FreeLuigi • u/yowhatupmom • 1d ago
Guides LM Book Tracker - have you (or do you want to) send LM a book?
Hi everyone!
Update 12/28/2024: Please slow down on sending books to LM. (Please read the mod announcement)
As requested, this thread will serve as a place to track the books that have been purchased and delivered to LM. If you have questions about other mail, please check out the Mail to LM Master Post.
To both protect the identity of the purchaser and verify that the book was actually sent, please send a mod mail with an Imgur link with a screenshot of your order details. Please remove all identifying information - the only thing we need to verify is the book title, the address it was sent to, the date it was ordered, and if it was delivered (or the anticipated delivery date). Click here to send a message to mods.
I will edit this post as the sent books are verified.
I am going to organize these in alphabetical order to make it easier to quickly locate the book title.
(if you are on mobile, scroll to the right to see the rest of the table)
| Book Title | Date Sent | Date Delivered | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho | 12/21/2024 | WORD Independent Community Bookstores in Brooklyn and New Jersey | |
| Behave by Robert Sapolsky | 12/20/2024 | 12/23/24 | Amazon |
| The Big Burn by Teddy Roosevelt and Timothy Egan | 12/20/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas père | 12/22/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman | 12/26/2024 | Anticipated 12/28/24 | Amazon |
| Down and Out In Paris and London by George Orwell | 12/22/2024 | Left Bank Books | |
| Federal Rules of Evidence by Michigan Legal Publishing Ltd | 12/20/2024 | 12/26/2024 | Amazon |
| The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi by Elif Shafak | 12/21/2024 | WORD Independent Community Bookstores in Brooklyn and New Jersey | |
| Hail Mary by Andy Weir | 12/20/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling | 12/21/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton | 12/20/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| Liberalism: A Counter-History | 12/20/2024 | 12/26/2024 | Amazon |
| The Lorax by Dr. Seuss | 12/27/2024 | Anticipated 12/30/2024 | Amazon |
| The Magic Skin by Honoré de Balzac | 12/20/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| Matilda by Roald Dahl | 12/23/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| Meditations by Marcus Aurelius | 12/21/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| 2025 National Parks National Park Foundation | 12/20/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| Night on the Galactic Railroad by Kenji Miyazawa | 12/21/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky | 12/21/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| On the Happy Life by Lucius Annaeus Seneca | 12/20/2024 | 12/27/2024 | Amazon |
| The Places That Scare You: A Guide To Fearlessness in Difficult Times (Deckled Edge) | 12/21/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| The Plague by Albert Camus | 12/21/2024 | Anticipated 12/28/24 | Amazon |
| The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle | 12/21/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| Self Defense: A Philosophy of Violence by Elsa Dorlin | 12/22/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse | 12/22/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| Tales of Traveller by Washington Irving | 12/20/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| The Troop by Nick Cutter | 12/ | Barnes and Noble | |
| West with the Night by Beryl Markham | 12/21/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| Wind, Sand and Stars (Harvest Book) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | 12/22/2024 | Held for pickup at carrier location | Amazon |
| Why I Write (Penguin Great Ideas) by George Orwell | 12/22/2024 | Left Bank Books |
Last Updated: 12/28/2024
Information about sending books:
Bop Policy On Incoming Publications (source)
Taking quotes from this document for quick reading
- At all Bureau institutions, an inmate may receive hardcover or softcover publications and newspapers only from the publisher, from a book club, or from a bookstore.
- Publications which may be rejected by a Warden include but are not limited to publications which meet one of the following criteria:
- (1) It depicts or describes procedures for the construction or use of weapons, ammunition, bombs or incendiary devices;
- (2) It depicts, encourages, or describes methods of escape from correctional facilities, or contains blueprints, drawings or similar descriptions of Bureau of Prisons institutions;
- (3) It depicts or describes procedures for the brewing of alcoholic beverages, or the manufacture of drugs;
- (4) It is written in code;
- (5) It depicts, describes or encourages activities which may lead to the use of physical violence or group disruption;
- (6) It encourages or instructs in the commission of criminal activity;
- (7) It is sexually explicit material which by its nature or content poses a threat to the security, good order, or discipline of the institution, or facilitates criminal activity.
- [If rejected] The Warden shall provide the publisher or sender of an unacceptable publication a copy of the rejection letter. The Warden shall return the rejected publication to the publisher or sender of the material.
- The Warden may set limits locally (for fire, sanitation, or housekeeping reasons) on the number or volume of publications an inmate may receive or retain in his quarters. The Warden may authorize an inmate additional storage space for storage of legal materials in accordance with the Bureau of Prisons procedures on personal property of inmates.
- Materials extracted, photocopied, or clipped from such publications will also be returned to the sender with a BP-A0955, Notification to Sender of Return of Materials.
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u/Theoffice94 1d ago
should consider the fact that when in isolation (i.e. solitary), inmates are only allowed a limited number of items inside and books are almost certainly VERY limited -- personally i'm going to hold off until a while later because i heard the guards might just throw out or take the excess books.
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u/-sweethearts 1d ago
good idea! i have a question. has it been confirmed that in solitary inmates at mdc are given access to books at all?
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u/Objective-Bluebird60 1d ago
I’m wondering this as well. Is he even actually physically receiving the mail and books people are sending him? So far we’ve heard that things have been delivered but not sure if LM can actually access these items.
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u/Until--Dawn33 1d ago
Just a reminder that inmates at that jail are only allowed to keep a few books in their cells. Whatever books are over the limit could be given to other inmates or even just thrown away. The jail will not keep the extra books and hold them for him. Just a heads up. I am in NYC and have known people in that jail and have gone through all the rules of sending things.
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u/Muted-Idea2969 1d ago
One of my main motivations for sending books was I saw the media reporting on how many letters and books he was getting and I thought it was a good signal to show support since I’m out of the US and can’t do anything in person. I’m assuming with the quantity he’s getting, there’s low chances he’ll read everything anyways.
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/AnyUsernameAtAll 1d ago
Letters is the only realistic alternative
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u/Until--Dawn33 1d ago
Even those have an unofficial limit bc they all have to be read by jail staff. Staff has been known to get angry when one specific inmate gets a crazy amount of letters bc it means more work for them. Staff has also been known to take this anger out on the inmate, or just throw all letters away. It's really a crappy situation all around to be an inmate. But the best small chance you have of LM receiving what you send would be a letter....just know it's a small chance...I don't mean to be negative at all, just realistic. I had an ex who did 7 months in there and it was awful.
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u/Until--Dawn33 1d ago
You can't send snacks or hygiene items, but you can put money in his account so he can buy those things, but that has a limit as well. He can only spend around $365 a month on commissary items.
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u/North_Cherry_4209 1d ago
Do you know what’s the limit?
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u/Until--Dawn33 1d ago
Only what can fit on the small shelf that's in the cell....but the shelf is not just for books, it's also for commissary items as well, so probably 3 books at a time I'm guessing? Something along those lines.
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u/AutoModerator 1d ago
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To see the most updated information about sending mail to LM, please check out the Mail to LM Master Post at https://www.reddit.com/r/FreeLuigi/comments/1hl46z1/comment/m3lhh8d/
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u/-sweethearts 1d ago
To OP, two things. first, are these just books sent directly to MDC brooklyn or does it include books that had already arrived at PA that will be sent to MDC brooklyn.
second, some people had issues with their packages arriving. if they end up not being delivered for any reason will they be removed from the list?
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u/yowhatupmom 1d ago
All books that have been sent, even the ones in PA.
And yes, that is why I am tracking the delivery date (scroll right if on mobile) as well to make sure they arrive!
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u/white_tokki 1d ago
Does this mean it’s waiting for someone from MDC to pick it up? Some of the books I sent just showed as delivered today but held for pickup.
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u/North_Cherry_4209 1d ago
Someone online says the same happened but that it ended up saying delivered the next day. Keep checking. This usually means the book was not able to be delivered so it was sent back to carrier location.
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u/Old-Hotel-3510 1d ago
hey !! maybe it have not been accepted as there is a long part about a prisoner escaping ? but i also thought about this book cause i love it and seems like it could match his personnality (from what we can guess via social media) so good choice ahah
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u/North_Cherry_4209 1d ago
Could’ve been denied delivery because their mail room was closed during the holidays
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u/Peony127 6h ago
Not related to your delivery concern, but I just want to say "The Count of Monte Cristo" is one of my favorite books (and movie)! Read it in highschool as part of our required readings. I would say it changed my life somehow and helped me get through the tough times.
Great choice! I also didn't see that yet in his Goodreads reviewed books.
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u/vi_sinclair01 1d ago
Thank you so much for organizing this! Please let us know when you hear back from the jail. I want to send him books but I'm thinking it will be the most effective to wait a few months when he's not maxed out on receiving book packages.
I wonder if he's reached his limit and more books arrive, maybe they put them in the prison library for other inmates? That would be ideal.
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u/North_Cherry_4209 1d ago
I don’t think he’s reached his limit yet only bc the holidays slowed things down
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u/agent0731 22h ago
I love how everyone sent him proper literature and then there's me sending him The Troop by Nick Cutter. 😂
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u/North_Cherry_4209 1d ago
If you sent your book to the 80 29th street address instead of the PO Box it might get denied delivery
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u/wokeblokee 1d ago
Tried sending the books but usps is saying i have to pick up to deliver. Will see if one of my cousin's can get it to the prison
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u/candice_maddy 23h ago
Don’t know that ‘how to break up’ book is the best book for someone in… jail 😭
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u/AutoModerator 1d ago
It looks like you might be asking about sending mail to LM.
To see the most updated information about sending mail to LM, please check out the Mail to LM Master Post at https://www.reddit.com/r/FreeLuigi/comments/1hl46z1/comment/m3lhh8d/
Please disregard if this was not your initial question, we are only trying to spread information. Thank you!
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u/yowhatupmom 23h ago
Can you please message me your order details so I can add your books to the list?
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u/wokeblokee 23h ago
I'm not sure if he can get my books since I'm not in nyc. Looks like the delivery was refused. I'll try calling next week to see if dropping it off to him will work
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u/yowhatupmom 23h ago
No, it should be fine - it’s just awaiting pickup by the prison. You shipped it to the post office box!
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u/Clean-Highlight-7076 13h ago
Just to add : being held for pickup is bcz someone from MDC will pick them and distribute them from this mailroom to the prison. It’s a self explanatory status but they are not delivered to prison door directly - it’s a mailroom close by
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u/delusional_girl_here 1d ago
We can’t send books from Barnes n Nobles?
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u/-sweethearts 1d ago
i think you should be able to. here’s the source. but on page 2, the first two blue points say from book stores. so you should be good.
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u/North_Cherry_4209 1d ago
Can yall tell us how many people have sent books pls
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u/yowhatupmom 1d ago
So far only 3 people have messaged me, but I have seen comments from at least 10. He has definitely reached his limit, so I would hold off on sending books.
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u/North_Cherry_4209 1d ago
Ok thank you, My book makes it tomorrow I hope they don’t throw it out :/, hopefully they have a bin for him
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u/North_Cherry_4209 1d ago
Is hardcover allowed? I see different sources saying different things
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u/yowhatupmom 1d ago
“Sending Packages Inmates are not allowed to receive packages from home without prior written approval from the inmate’s unit team or authorized staff member at the institution. The only packages an inmate may receive from home are those containing release clothing and authorized medical devices. However, inmates may receive magazines, hard and paperback books directly from the publisher (For more information see: Policy on Incoming Publications ).” (source)
On the Policy on Incoming Publications it says “(a)(1) At all Bureau institutions, an inmate may receive hardcover publications and newspapers only from the publisher, from a book club, or from a bookstore.”
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u/North_Cherry_4209 1d ago
All those who say held for pick up at carrier location it could be because delivery was denied due to mail room being closed
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u/Objective-Bluebird60 1d ago
What does held for pickup at carrier location mean?
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u/yowhatupmom 1d ago
It’s at the post office awaiting pickup!
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u/Objective-Bluebird60 1d ago
Thanks! Does that mean the person who ordered it will have to go to the post office and pick it up themselves or, that another delivery person will pick it up and deliver?
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u/hersoulsparkles007 57m ago edited 44m ago
* I'm new to Reddit so please forgive me if I'm doing this wrong. Yesterday, I called MDC and was told LM can receive books from Amazon. I was not told he can only have a limited number so it's disappointing to learn this now. I wanted to help lighten his heart, if even only for a few minutes so I sent him Dr. Seuess's, The Lorax. It was on his GoodReads list. It was sent via Amazon. I feel awful that he may not be able to have it and may have to pay money to send it back or throw it away! It's unfathomable that extra books can't simply be donated. There are thousands of inmates that never receive anything, not even a letter! Thank you for this helpful information. Also, on TikTok, many people are posting that they have sent LM books. I'm afraid this is going to be a nightmare for LM. I just feel terrible about possibly causing him unnecessary stress. I wanted to send him a journal too but I'm assuming that's not allowed. As a sister of a formerly incarcerated brother, my heart aches for LM. Please ya'all, light a candle and keep him in your prayers! * *
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u/yowhatupmom 54m ago
Hi! If you did send him books, can you send me a screenshot of your order (read this post) with your information removed so I can verify and add it to the table?
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u/hersoulsparkles007 49m ago
I tried to add it to my response. Not sure why it didn't attach. I'll try again. * Why won't the screen shot attach? I sent him Dr. Seuess's, The Lorax via Amazon for arrival this Monday.
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u/yowhatupmom 34m ago
I removed your screenshot just so it isn't public, but I added it to the list! Thank you so much.
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u/yowhatupmom 1d ago
Mail to LM Master Post