Summary:
This book as two different stories and both stories are a real page turner. In the first story a man has almost everything and then in a blink of an eye it is gone. He has come up with a plan to get what he lost but will it backfire? Will it involve an innocent person? In the next story a man that has everything and he decides to make a choice that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Will this choice be for the century? Could there have been a different outcome?
What I thought of the book:
I thought Mr. Patterson did it again, he brought us to the edge of our seats, and has a questioning what will happen next. His descriptions gives a true picture of both crimes but still leaves some room for imagination. This book shouldn’t be the only one that is based on the t.v. show; which I have never seen but will be looking to see when it is on so I can watch it and hopefully these two stories will be aired.
Ending:
The stories within this book have you wondering how in the world someone can be so cruel and believe they can get away with it. This book as brought so many questions to mind but also a lot of questions that I didn’t think of. These stories are just a glimpse into what people will do either for greed, power, or revenge. If you haven’t read this book it is a must read.
Someone sent me a link to DC Jail Book Club I decided to check it out. On that site I found Success Stories for young males that made a bad choice to land them behind bars. I found this book on that site and I am glad that someone sent me this link.
Summary:
One night and bad decision takes Mr. Betts into the justice system of Virginia and away from his family. At the tender age of 16 years a young man choice to take up a gun and carjack a white man just because he could. In a moment all he knew, all his dreams and first times would be snatched away from him. Sentenced as an adult and shipped from prison to prison; Mr. Betts never gave into prison life not like others. He made his time count and he took that one night and bad decision make him into the man he has become. Not once did he use the excuse “ I never had a father figure, I don’t know my father, and I never had a positive male role model.”
What I thought of the book:
This book hits home, it gives me a glimpse, and understanding to what a family member lives through daily. Mr. Betts paints an image of a young man who made a mistake and choice to take back his life. He has painted an image of what it was like for a young man in prison, in that image he shows us what it is like for the older gentlemen in prison, and how our youth is getting more time than necessary for a bad choice. How our justice system looks at the color of a person’s skin, their living environment and then their crime when sentencing. I wish Mr. Betts the best and to thank him for allowing us inside the justice system especially the parts of that system we don’t see first-hand unless you are on the inside doing time.
Ending:
Mr. Betts has made it through what some of us would call “The right of passage for fatherless children.” He has made it through the doing time that didn’t fit the crime committed and not letting the system break him. Mr. Betts took all of his experiences in prison to paint a picture for us, he has given all those young men a voice, and he has proved that one bad choice does not define who you are.
Quotes:
“My life has been built into moments of hoping people will judge me by my character and not my past.”
