How do the lessons of The Great Gatsby unfold if you’re serving a life sentence while reading it? How does a memoir of war land with someone confined to a cinderblock classroom in a rural Mississippi prison? Hidden Mirrors, a new podcast hosted by journalist and author Alan Huffman, answers these questions by taking listeners where few outsiders ever go: inside a prison book club at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility.
Every other week, a group of incarcerated men gather under fluorescent lights and behind steel doors to read, debate, and reflect on books that many of us encounter in classrooms or coffee shops. But here, the stakes are different. Incarcerated readers pore over every line, connect the words to their own lives, and expose truths most of us never consider.
“This isn’t just a book club,” says Huffman. “It’s a space where men who are often written off get to interpret and illuminate stories with a depth that reminds us that everyone knows something we don’t. Because, they read with a level of intensity we almost never see on the outside.”
Huffman — known for uncovering epic, overlooked stories in books like Mississippi in Africa and Here I Am— doesn’t just moderate these sessions. He provokes, he listens, and he documents insights that transcend the prison walls. The podcast’s very name came from an incarcerated reader, Micharlos, who says, in episode one of Hidden Mirrors: “You never know what reflection of yourself you’re going to see in the book you’re reading.”
From Fitzgerald to Ishmael Beah, the men’s reflections are startling, raw, and often profoundly moving. Some participants grew up devouring books; others discovered literature only after their incarceration. Together, they remind us of what literature can do: bridge divides, spark empathy, and reveal truths about the human condition in places where they’re least expected.
“We were thrilled to work with Alan on this rare and powerful series,” says Amphibian Media CEO Matt Stroud. “Hidden Mirrors isn’t just about books — it’s about humanity, resilience, and the unexpected brilliance that can surface in the darkest corners. This is Mississippi, with its rich and complicated history, viewed through the lens of men who rarely get to speak for themselves.”
Find out more about Hidden Mirrors at hiddenmirrors.com.