Inside in Thought

Synopsis of Inside In ThoughtThis book is a snapshot of my upbringing in the housing projects of Memphis, Tennessee, where I witnessed crimes and violence daily. The community was saturated with alcoholics and drug addicts. I was also present when Dr. King was assassinated in downtown Memphis. Shortly thereafter, at 15 years of age, I was sent to the boys' reformatory in Pikeville, Tennessee. Upon my release, with my hustling skills honed, I attempted to be a pimp. At the age of 19, I left my hometown and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I obtained a hooker. We moved to New York City. I then acquired all the toys that successful pimps and players had. My addiction to drugs and alcohol caused me to make many mistakes and I lost everything. For years, I repeatedly had to start over and over again. You see, the lifestyle of pimps and players is filled with uncertainty - there's really no place to call home As such, I traveled constantly and lived in most of the major cities in the U. S. I spent years in Canada; I even spent time in a Canadian prison. However, after 16 years of that lifestyle, I committed the most egregious act possible. I was sentenced to life in prison for murdering my woman. Now, serving a life sentence was an overwhelming thought. I had no hope of being released. To ease my suffering, I got involved in educational programs and began to improve myself. Truth be told, I was not doing it in hopes of impressing corrections officials. Education became my new drug. You see, many prisoners have addiction issues. I, however, was addicted to learning. Unbeknownst to myself, I was simply going through the process of prison life; I was experiencing the rehabilitation and reformation process. My perspective and way of walking and talking changed for the better. Hence, after 29 years and five days of consecutive incarceration, I was granted parole. I was given a second chance in life. Keep in mind, after almost 30 years, the world had changed. I was like the fish out of water, yet I was determined to succeed. I applied everything that I had learned in prison in order to obtained employment and to avoid a return to criminal behavior. My point in writing this book, in short, was to say that crime does not pay for most of us so-called criminals. Therefore, if readers want to succeed and have the good life, avoid walking in my footsteps, don't seek out shortcuts. Get and education and work hard for whatever it is that you want. It will pay off in the end.