Don't Get Caught Up in the Story


Book Description

Ashamed of my weakness but willing to share it to heal from my pain. Second Corinthians 11:30 states, "If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity." Knowing that the Lord is my strength calms my spirit. Second Corinthians 12:9–10 states, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Thank you, Lord, for making me strong when I was weak. Through your Word, I received direction, correction, and encouragement to continue staying faithful to you; you won't leave me, nor forsake me. Joy, pain, gain, I'm a part of Christ's gang. In this book, I will share how to bang Christ name without the shame. I have gained all things through Christ's name. You will experience how I traded revenge as my friend and invited Christ to sit in. Learning how to plant seeds for Christ for Jesus saved my life. Gaining the wisdom to trust the Lord without a doubt and watch Christ knock the enemy out is what this life is all about! Thank you, Lord, for not allowing my faith to be paralyzed. I love you, Lord. In Jesus's name, amen.




Bloody Knuckles


Book Description

JAYVON has found the woman of his dreams in CHRISSY, a gorgeous young lady who only has eyes for him. The only one standing in their way of happiness is BARTISE, one of New York’s fiercest crime lords. Unable to track down Chrissy’s father to collect on his debt, Bartise takes his daughter as payment, and he will not let her go until he gets what he is owed. Vowing to get Chrissy from under Bartise’s rule, Jayvon competes for the money in an underground fighting circuit. But even if he does manage to get the bag, will Bartise honor their agreement? Or will he have him assassinated and keep Chrissy as his forever?




A Distant Connection


Book Description

A DISTANT CONNECTION is an absolute must read for all who find themselves intrigued by the criminal lifestyle in its many facets. From a hi-maximum security prison cell constructed to maximize human loneliness; a site designed to kill the mind; Kenneth Jamal Lighty manages to not only live, but thrive. Through self-cultivated intellect and hard-earned wisdom, he uses the single, most powerful weapon known to a prisoner -the ink pen- to not only bring the plight of the incarcerated into the consciousness of many throughout the world, but also to make a difference by inspiring and informing those whom he manages to come into contact with. In his book debut, Kenneth's efforts to warn a generation of youth who appear to be enamored with street life are nothing short of remarkable. Reaching out to several of his peers, spanning several states across the country, and with various affiliations, he manages to create a pseudo-panel, providing a platform for prisoners to be able to share the hard-earned wisdom attained from years of making their own mistakes, in an effort to alter the trajectory of a generation that is seemingly on a road that will only lead to one or two places: the penitentiary or the cemetery. Via letters, filled with rawness and empathy, each reader is challenged to try a different route to "success". Each individual opens up to reveal the pain beneath the exterior, and offers sound advice on how not to end up a victim of bad choices, before it is too late. Long overdue, A Distant Connection is a much needed intervention that will hopefully inspire change, and place our young people back on the path that will lead to a productive, healthy future.




Big Homie Wisdom


Book Description

This book is for anyone struggling with daily trials and tribulations and how to handle them in the ways of a Big Homie! In life it is indeed all about your mindset and in this quick but influential read, you'll discover that you're not alone and that Wisdom is gained over time and never overnight.




Ballad of the Bullet


Book Description

"Drawing on two years of ethnographic fieldwork and over 150 interviews with gang-affiliated youth in the "Taylor Park" neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Ballad of the Bullet reveals that those coming of age in America's poorest neighborhoods are developing new, creative, and online strategies for making ends meet. Dislocated by the erosion of the crack economy and the splintering of corporatized gangs, these young people exploit the unique affordances of digital social media to capitalize on an emerging online market for urban violence (or, more accurately, a market for the representation of urban violence). In the past, violence functioned primarily as a means of social control, allowing urban youth to compete in illegal street markets and defend the social statuses otherwise denied to them by mainstream society. Today, with the rise of platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter, violence has become a premier cultural commodity in and of itself. By amassing millions of clicks, views, and followers, these young people convert their online displays of violence into vital offline resources, including cash, housing, drugs, sex, and, for a very select few, a ticket out of poverty" --




Hood Legends


Book Description

What you are about to read is the first part of a multipart story about my life, parts of my life that involve gangbanging and not just any kind of gangbanging but gangbanging of the deepest type. Gangbanging on the notorious streets of South-Central Los Angeles. Moreover my life evolved from gangbanging to a leading role in America’s drug culture. While these things are true about my life, I want to make one thing very clear: nothing that you are about to read is meant to glorify either gangbanging or drug culture; in fact, it is my sincere hope that the telling of my life story will steer the youth and others away from both paths as they literally lead to dead ends. So if you are reading this, know that if I had it to do all over again, I wish that I had been dealt the kind of cards in life that would have prepared me for an Ivy League college like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc. rather than state and federal prison.




Latinx Experiences


Book Description

This reader introduces students to the variety and complexity of Latinxs′ experiences in the U.S., and prepares them for further study in this interdisciplinary field. The opening essay, written by the editors, offers a broad overview of the approximately 59 million people in the U.S. who identify as Hispanic. The rest of the book will consist of contributed essays from Latina(o)/Chicana(o) scholars on a range of subjects including immigration, citizenship, and deportation; racial identities; political participation and power; educational and economic achievement; family; religion; media and popular culture. Although the essays are written for lower-division undergraduates, they reflect many of the leading theoretical and methodological approaches in the field. The essays are unified by an intersectional approach, demonstrating how experiences and life chances of Latinxs are also shaped by gender, social class, sexuality, age, and citizenship status.




A Bad Hand Has Been Dealt


Book Description

My name is Harvey Hughes I am from Dallas TX. At the age of 13 I was taking away from society because of not following the rules. Meaning I wanted to commit crimes. Those crimes sent me away for twenty years. Read my book A Bad Hand Has Been Dealt. Walk with me behind those prison walls. Have A Bless Day Everyone. Stay Tune For The Next Series. A Bad Hand Has Been Dealt. By me Harvey Hughes.




Soldiers of Love


Book Description

Profoundly moving and nostalgic, Soldiers of Love: Beautiful Scars is a searing exploration of unconditional love, adolescent trauma bonds, generational curses, and the healing power of forgiveness. Inspired by real events, Soldiers is soul-stirring and perfect for fans of Seven Days in June and An American Marriage. Liberty Mae Banks was her birth name, yet Zion called her Mrs. Forever . . . It took years and fistfuls of tears for Liberty to convince herself that Zion Malik Mitchell had been a figment of her imagination. She suppressed every memory to lessen the burn—and because, it’s the proper thing to do once you’ve become another man’s wife. Now the mother, wife, and #SoldiersOfLove relationship columnist for Love & Lifestyle magazine, finds herself in a heartfelt tug of war when her childhood sweetheart, Zion, resurfaces. For Zion, Liberty had always been his peace and the one who got away. He needed her more than he was ever willing to admit, and while it’s often said that time heals all wounds, all time had done for Zion is rob him of a future with the love of his life. When tragedy strikes, Zion’s freedom is left hanging in the balance as he awaits sentencing. Plagued with guilt and fear, there’s only one person he trusts to help him through his most arduous battle ever—Liberty. Will Liberty sacrifice her picture-perfect life and rush to Zion’s side in hopes of healing and setting them both free, or will resurrecting their war-torn past open a Pandora’s box neither won’t be able to close? “Sublime and roiling with emotion, childhood sweethearts reconnect, only to be tested by their past, present, and future. If Beale Street Could Talk meets Love Jones in this cinematically written romantic drama.” —Arthur Muhammad, Director of BET+ Original Bid For Love




The Trigger


Book Description

Six moving profiles reveal the complex realities behind gun violence in the United States. These are the stories of the shooters. In South Carolina, a young man embarks on a life of crime that culminates in a drug-related shooting and decades in prison; in Chicago, an off-duty police officer engages in a shootout with a murderous gunman, saving a fellow patrolman; in rural Tennessee, a troubled teenager shoots her abusive father in his sleep. The Trigger recounts the dramatic life stories of six individuals who have shot someone in America. In 2017, over 15,000 were killed and over 31,000 were injured by gunfire. Faced with these desensitizing statistics, one easily forgets that each incident is perpetrated by a living, feeling human being who has walked a unique path. The causes and consequences of these violent acts are often far more complicated than one might expect. Author Daniel J. Patinkin exhaustively interviewed each of six shooters about their life experiences and about the unique circumstances that compelled them to use a firearm against another person. The result is a series of profound narratives that is sure to distress and challenge the reader, but also, perhaps, to provide enlightenment and inspiration.