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  • Published: 31 January 2017
  • ISBN: 9781101907313
  • Imprint: Christian/Forum
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $35.00

Writing My Wrongs

Life, Death, and One Man's Story of Redemption in an American Prison




Now in paperback, the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling story of a man who went from being a convicted murderer to becoming a lecturer at the University of Michigan, a mentor and motivational speaker at conferences like TED and Aspen Ideas, a leading voice for criminal justice reform, and an inspiration to thousands.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An “extraordinary, unforgettable” (Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow) memoir of redemption and second chances amidst America’s mass incarceration epidemic, from a member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100

Shaka Senghor was raised in a middle-class neighborhood on Detroit’s east side during the height of the 1980s crack epidemic. An honor roll student and a natural leader, he dreamed of becoming a doctor—but at age eleven, his parents’ marriage began to unravel, and beatings from his mother worsened, which sent him on a downward spiral. He ran away from home, turned to drug dealing to survive, and ended up in prison for murder at the age of nineteen, full of anger and despair.

Writing My Wrongs is the story of what came next. During his nineteen-year incarceration, seven of which were spent in solitary confinement, Senghor discovered literature, meditation, self-examination, and the kindness of others—tools he used to confront the demons of his past, forgive the people who hurt him, and begin atoning for the wrongs he had committed. Upon his release at age thirty-eight, Senghor became an activist and mentor to young men and women facing circumstances like his. His work in the community and the courage to share his story led him to fellowships at the MIT Media Lab and the Kellogg Foundation and invitations to speak at events like TED and the Aspen Ideas Festival.

In equal turns, Writing My Wrongs is a page-turning portrait of life in the shadow of poverty, violence, and fear; an unforgettable story of redemption; and a compelling witness to our country’s need for rethinking its approach to crime, prison, and the men and women sent there.

  • Published: 31 January 2017
  • ISBN: 9781101907313
  • Imprint: Christian/Forum
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $35.00

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Praise for Writing My Wrongs

  • "No one has forced us to look at the core questions about humanity and our broken criminal justice system with more authenticity and clarity." --TIME
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