Bill Dallas, a former real estate developer documents his five-year sentence at one of the country’s most notorious maximum-security prisons in Lessons From San Quentin: Everything I Needed to Know About Life I Learned in Prison.

Although the book, releasing next month from Tyndale House Publishers, recounts Dallas’ own story of landing in the prison after being charged with grand theft embezzlement, it is just as much about the Christians he encountered behind bars, men who have faced their worst struggles and lived to tell about it.

“What intrigued me (about writing this book) was not to do so much on the Bill Dallas story, but to focus on these men of faith in prison and the lessons I learned, so that’s what got me excited about doing it,” he said. “I don’t want to say it’s a tribute to them, but the faith they live is amazing.”

The book “is for people who are going through a trial or a tough time in their life,” Dallas said. “It’s for people that want some tools to grow in their spiritual formation. I’m hoping that some of the lessons learned are for people to help take their faith to a deeper level.”

Tyndale is launching a national media campaign to promote the book, including print and broadcast media. The book will also be spotlighted in the Ignite men’s conferences, a traveling conference hitting 20 cities, where Dallas will be a featured speaker.

Read more in the Feb. 9 issue of Christian Retailing.