The Freedom Reader

Reginald Betts, a Yale Law School graduate and MFA in poetry recipient, shares his transformative journey from a 16-year-old who committed a carjacking and served eight and a half years in prison to becoming the founder of Freedom Reads, an organization that has established over 500 libraries in 45 prisons across 14 states. While incarcerated, Betts discovered the life-changing power of books through an underground prison library, where he first read seminal Black poets like Langston Hughes and Sonia Sanchez. He recounts how reading Sonia Sanchez’s 'Under a Soprano Sky' became a spiritual and emotional anchor, teaching him to love himself and envision a future beyond violence. Despite having no formal plan, Betts leaned into curiosity, passion, and the belief that books could be a talisman against the cycle of incarceration. His story is one of redemption, resilience, and the profound impact of access to literature. Conan O'Brien is deeply moved by Betts’ story, calling it one of the most inspiring conversations he’s had on the show, and highlights the importance of second chances, the healing power of reading, and the quiet rebellion of book sniffing.