Grace After Midnight: A Memoir

by Felicia Pearson, David Ritz (With)

While Felicia is a brilliant actor in a truly chilling role, what's most remarkable about "Snoop" is what she has overcome in her life. Snoop was born a three-pound cross-eyed crack baby in East Baltimore. Those streets are among the toughest in the world, but Snoop was tougher. The runt of the ghetto showed an early aptitude for drug slinging and violence and thrived as a baby gangsta until she landed in Jessup state penitentiary after killing a woman in self-defense. There she rebelled violently against the system, and it was only through the cosmic intervention of her mentor, Uncle Loney, that she turned her life around. A couple of years ago, Snoop was discovered in a nightclub by one of The Wire's cast members and quickly recruited to be one of television's most frightening and intriguing villians.

While the story of coming up from the hood has been told by Antwone Fisher and Chris Gardner, among others, Snoop's tale goes far deeper into The Life than any previous books. And like Mary Karr's story, Snoop's is a woman's story from a fresh point of view. She defied traditional conventions of gender and sexual preference on the hardest streets in America and she continues to do so in front of millions of viewers on TV.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Crime, Biography Memoir, Adult, Drugs

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson

Reviews

[P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

So... I love The Wire. When I read in a VOYA article that Felicia "Snoop" Pearson had a memoir, I was super-pumped. Her character on The Wire, "Snoop", is sort of sinister and despicable, and one of the standouts in a cast of standouts. Even though I usually steer clear of biography (esp. written-with-the-assistance-of types), I knew I'd have to read it. It's pleasantly not overwritten--it reads like an oral history. So there's not really a complex plot arc, but the voice is real and I can definitely see it hooking young readers. And it's not preachy while still containing personal and moral revelations. Once again, due to the real voice. Oh, and very levelheadedly GLBT friendly. Yay! Now I'm going to go read some of David Simon's books because my Wire neediness cannot be satiated.

[Charles Goins · Rating 3 out of 5]

How my hair look, Mike?

[Jacqueline J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim at work. I'd never heard of this actress or even the TV show she's on. Hey I read books not watch TV. Anyhoo, this was quite an interesting story of this young girl's life. She made bad choices even when she had the opportunity to make better ones. She had people at home who loved her. She wasn't totally screwed/disadvantaged from the time she was born. She chose to take a bad path. When she ends up in prison for murder, she turns her life around. I admire her guts in changing her life and telling her story and I hope that she continues on a good and healthy path.

[Digit · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best memoirs I've read.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snoop (Felicia Pearson) was born a cross-eyed crack baby. Abandoned by her mother, she was taken in by a loving family in the ghetto of Baltimore. Despite being raised by a decent family, the lure from the streets that surrounded her was too strong, and as young as eight years old, Snoop was running the streets. When she was fourteen, she was convicted of murder and spent years in prison. Years later, she was discovered by an actor on the hit tv show, "The Wire," and soon became one of TV's most notorious female villains. But was life imitating art or art imitating life?
Here's a scene from "The Wire" that Snoop describes in her book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxBGzU...
This was a quick read that I couldn't put down. After finishing, I did a little digging on Snoop on the internet and found out that she was recently arrested for drug charges.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm fanatical about the HBO television series The Wire, which is quickly drawing to a close. Life without it will be hard for me. Fortunately, I have convinced my roommate Allison (who just came on board this season) to rent the early seasons with me on Netflix, and I will be able to numb the pain a little bit by following the pursuits of those involved in the program.

The first book I read this year was one such venture: Grace After Midnight by Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, a young woman who plays a ruthless murderer (also named Snoop) on The Wire.

Snoop joined the cast last season after a chance meeting with actor Michael K. Williams (brilliant as my favorite character, Omar). Not too long before that, Snoop was living in a hardcore correctional facility, serving time for killing a young woman in self-defense when Snoop was only 14-years-old.

I had been anticipating the release of her biography since I read about it in a fascinating Washington Post article about Pearson called "The Role of Her Life," which described this remarkable story from two different sides: Pearson's perspective, and the angle of the family of her victim.

A quick, brief read (this probably won't be the last title about her life), Grace After Midnight gives a voice to this unique woman in a platform that might not have ever been open to her. Co-author David Ritz offers a light penstroke, preserving Snoop's verbal cadence and rhythm -- those familiar with her shouldn't have much trouble vividly picturing her saying these words in her distinctive Bodymore, Murdaland (that's Baltimore, Maryland) drawl.

Ritz also wrote the brilliant bio Divided Soul about his close friend Marvin Gaye (for whom he wrote the hit "Sexual Healing") and has coaxed memoirs out of Ray Charles, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King and others (Sinbad!). I admire what he has done professionally, and he does something I'd really love to do, which is help unlock amazing books out of people with real stories to tell. Like Snoop.

Washington Post: The Role of Her Life
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, the title caught my interest...GRACE AFTER MIDNIGHT is not GIRLZ IN THE 'HOOD....it speaks of deeper, stiller waters...Ms Pearson grew up in the 'hood, and by a simple twist of Fate..found a way out...through TV...through the HBO series THE WIRE....through Michael K Williams, who was a member of that show's excellent cast. By essentially playing herself, Snoop (in real life) was able to quit The Life (Thug, drug dealer) and enter the world.

Born a 3-lb, cross-eyed crack baby in East Baltimore...Ms Pearson was a GIRL IN THE 'HOOD....on the stoop...on the corners..in the alleys...in court..and in Jessup (the Women's Penitentiary) at age 15. this is her story, told in her words, in her rhythm...no excuses, no Sugar Coat.

I don't usually read celebrity Bios..especially those written by the under-30 set...but, as i said, this one reached out to me. I am an unreconsructed fan of THE WIRE...and lament its passing (but all good things should end when it's their time)....it's glorious triumphs and imperfections..The character of SNOOP..with her raspy voice...her Corner Boy threads..her nail gun and bucket of quicklime.was an especial favorite...hell, i wanted to bring her home..to liven up the town where i live...

this book will never win a prize in the white world..but i thought it was a compelling read....not "fluff" , or just a voyeuristic peek at a lifestyle i'll never live. Ms Pearson lived THE LIFE and then turned it around..into something better for herself....through Luck, or Fate, or Grace...one.

4 Stars

[Adam Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy and interesting read about the young actress that played one of the most chilling villains in TV history. Made all the more chilling by the fact she was merely playing herself.

A stark contrast between this teenage girl's life and that of another I read recently (Anne Frank).

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, fast read. Pearson plays the cold-blooded young executioner "Snoop" (sorry--played) on "The Wire", and I found her understated acting (she was discovered by another "Wire" actor in a bar) really intriguing. When I heard that she had been in prison for murder before she became an actor (and following her stint in jail, she was unable to keep a 9-5 job with her record and ran a profitable drug corner), I wanted to read more about her. In doing some research, I found out she had written a memoir (and she's young, only 27). If you're familiar with the character, Pearson is pretty much acting with the same mannerisms and language. She's an interesting person--undoubtedly smart, but raised in the rough Baltimore neighborhoods, dealing drugs, convicted of murder (she swears it was self-defense), a lesbian making her way through the testosterone-fueled streets of Baltimore--and the book (co-written with a well-known ghost writer) sounds true to her voice. Surprisingly poetic and poignant, you come away from the story hoping she stays on the straight and narrow with acting and keeps her life cleaned up. She literally could be a storyline on the Wire, but you hope this one actually has a happy ending.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grace was just okay, for me. I loved The Wire, really one of the best things I ever saw on TV, and author, nicknamed Snoop, sort of just played herself on the show; she was like a Fat Albert character or something, in that you really could rarely understand a word she said, and yet she was somehow quite likable. So there's one star, I just liked this girl as well as her tv character. Secondly, she described something real about prison that I have not ever seen discussed, it's the title of the book. My version, and I believe it is true, is: it can occur that a person under external duress may receive that feeling of grace that has nothing to do with any religion (and anything written about the tao is not the tao anyway, right?) and which enables the person to inwardly smile and persevere. It is not religion, but it is a direct, uncanny experience, even better because nobody can fuck it up by making a religion out of it. Snoop can feel me when I said this, so there's another star for the book. :-)

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful memoir from a tough, tenacious, smart person who has survived a life that most people wouldn't. It's impressive that she has come though it and out the other side without being bitter or shattered. I haven't seen The Wire, but now I want to; I had seen the author on TV once as a guest on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations food show when he visited Baltimore, and thought she was a very interesting person - this autobiography more than confirms that impression.

[Jay Rain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating - 7.4

Relatively-detailed autobiography of the street & prison life; A lesson that there is more to parenting than just a strong church foundation & you can't look the other way - glad that she was able to get out

Mixed thoughts as it is a bit of a cash grab from Snoop's Wire fame; however if some inner city kids turn their life around then it is well worth it; Not prescriptive which is likely the best format to influence

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is perfect for reluctant readers. Snoop dealt drugs, did time, was a very out butch lesbian, and then became a star. She narrates the story in the same laconic voice familiar to those who know her from The Wire.

The 4 stars are for appeal, it's not a literary masterpiece.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book confirms the realness of hbo's the wire. Snoop was really dealt a bad hand and kept slipping up again and again. She finally caught a break by being in the right Baltimore night club at the right time.

[Carla Cherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner! Read it in one three hour sitting. I love her honesty and compassion. Her story made me think about the ways our hetero-normative, class-biased, prison-industrial complex oppresses people of color, LGBTQ people, and the formerly incarcerated.

[Tracie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I need a break from those damn lame-ass vegetarian vampires. This shit, this is scary.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing story, amazing life to have lived!

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Ashleigh Rasheed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ashleigh Rasheed
Mr. Parizo
American Literature
Third Period (A-day)



“The Depiction of the American Dream and Culture through works of The Great Gatsby”


The American Dream, a depiction of our American Culture. An inspiration to many giving hope and promise to those that yearn it. The foundation behind our country’s great success, that helped established our country’s welfare as a nation. How did it come about? Many can speculate and come up with their own interpretations behind its origins, but one cause that can not be denied as one, modernism. Modernism gave birth to the whole concept of the American Dream, and without it, the remnants of our culture would cease to exist. Its concept urged the literary world to take note of its true meaning by displaying it through literature. Writers like Francis Scott Fitzgerald portrayed the concept of the American dream in their writings in books such as The Great Gatsby. A novel written by Fitzgerald depicting the idea of the American Dream throughout the book. Fitzgerald also displays fragments of his life within the novel that coincide with the concept of the American Dream. A dream Fitzgerald sought to hard to achieve. The influence of the American Dream helped shape American Culture and all that followed including literature. Through the readings of The Great Gatsby it can be argued that the author depicts the concept of the American Dream and American Culture throughout the novel, as well as the display of fragments of Fitzgerald’s life within the text that coincide with the concept of the American Dream, and how through modernism the American Dream came to be.

How do we define American Culture? For starters we can start off by defining it as a depiction of the American Dream. A dream that brought many from all over to our country in hope of prosperity and wealth. A dream that has embedded the minds of millions, inspiring them to believe that through hard work anything is attainable. The American Dream cultivated American Culture, creating and enhancing the melting pot of America today. It innovated our culture resulting in the elaboration of diversity in our society. If not for the American Dream, American Culture would shatter under the confinements of what the American Dream mirrors. Modernism also played an important role in the shaping of American Culture as well as the American Dream. The occurrence of this event birthed the start of the American Dream, opening the doors for opportunity to unleash upon our country. During WWI, the US supplied weapons and ammunition to countries who could not manufacture those supplies in their own countries throughout the war. This boosted America’s economy allowing for businesses to flourish, and America to become on of the most powerful and wealthiest nations in the world. With this also came the establishment of the American Dream. Modernism intensified the growth of culture enabling the concept of the American Dream to engulf the minds of all that fell into its presence. Modernism acted as the foundation that reinforced the American Dream, which lead to the building of American Culture in our society.

Through The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald incorporated his life within the text that coincided with the concept of the American Dream. Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 24, 1896 to Mary McQuillan and Edward Fitzgerald. His father’s failures as a manufacturer in St. Paul and a salesman in New York resulted in the family’s move back to St. Paul, to live off the inheritance of his mother. When Fitzgerald attended Princeton he neglected his studies, in hope to pursue a literary career. He wrote the scripts and lyrics for the Princeton Triangle Club musicals as well as for the Princeton Tiger humor magazine and the Nassau Literary Magazine. Because of his unlikely hood to graduate from Princeton, he enlisted into the army where he continued to write. After being assigned to Camp Sheridan in Montgomery, Alabama, he met and fell in love with Zelda Sayre, a celebrated belle and the daughter of the Supreme Court Judge. The romance between the two brought hope to Fitzgerald for the success of his novel, but the book got rejected again casing Fitzgerald to go to New York to seek his fortune in order to marry Zelda. Unfortunately for Fitzgerald, Zelda called off the engagement because of her Unwillingness to wait while Fitzgerald succeeded in the advertisement business and her unwillingness to live on his small salary. Fitzgerald displays this particular event in his novel but through different content. In the novel Gatsby tries to regain the love of his life Daisy, similar but not the same to Fitzgerald situation. The major difference between the two situations Gatsby accomplishes the American Dream, and Fitzgerald struggles to do so. Gatsby uses his material possessions to lure Daisy, in hope of rekindling the love they once had. Fitzgerald demonstrates these actions within the novel in the quote, “I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes.” (The Great Gatsby 96-97). Here in this quote you can see how Gatsby’s material possessions acted as bate to lure Daisy in to make her more interested in Gatsby. Because Fitzgerald lacked material possessions as well as money, enable him to cater to the needs of Zelda.

Through the readings of The Great Gatsby I have colleted enough evidence from the text to conclude that Fitzgerald does believe in the American Dream, and that he views American Culture as a pigmentation of the American Dream. Throughout the novel Fitzgerald gives countless examples of the concept of the American Dream. In the following quote Fitzgerald introduces the concept of the American Dream through the depiction of Nick’s family. “My family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this Middle-Western city for three generations. The Carraways are something of a clan, and we have a tradition that we’re descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch, but the actual founder of my line was my grandfather’s brother, who came here in fifty-one, sent a substitute to the Civil War, and started the wholesale hardware business that my father carries on today”(The Great Gatsby 7). Based on the description of what Nick gave here of his family in the quote, it seems as though his family has lived the American Dream. Through their hard work, it lead them to the success they have today. This next quote centers the concept of the American Dream and what it stood for. “And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter – to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther...and one fine morning–So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”(The Great Gatsby 189). Nick reflects on what America stood for when it was first discovered. A land of opportunity and new possibilities, where through hard work the possibilities were of what you could amount to. Gatsby believed in that idea, but to Nick it seemed that Gatsby’s true greatness in his ambition itself. The green light, in which Gatsby believed for so long, stood for several things, but because Gatsby was gone, it did not hold any significance.

Through the readings of The Great Gatsby it can be argued that the author depicts the concept of the American Dream and American Culture throughout the novel, as well as the display of fragments of Fitzgerald’s life within the text that coincide with the concept of the American Dream, and how through modernism the American Dream came to be. Fitzgerald does depict the concept of the American Dream and American Culture redundantly throughout the novel. He presents the two in a way in which without one the other one would not be able to function. The American Dream brought life to American Culture, allowing it to grow and nourish upon the world. Modernism gave birth to the meaning of the American Dream. Without it American Culture would crumble underneath the debris of the American Dream. The depiction of Fitzgerald’s life in the text of the novel and how it coincided with the American Dream enabled the audience to interpret the concept of the American Dream and American Culture from different perspectives. The influence of the American Dream in society ignited a fuse to the explosion of diversity and innovation in our culture like no other. Without the American Dream, American Culture would surcome to the negligence of our counter parts in the rest of the world, and the America as we know of it would fall victim to its own incompetence.

Work Cited

Bruccoli, Matthew . "A Brief Life of Fitzgerald." University of South Carolina. the Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina, n.d. Web. 18 May 2010.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby . New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1953. Print.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

My boyfriend gave me this book for Christmas a couple years back, because we both love The Wire and he knows that memoirs are my favorite. I just finally got around to reading it, and it did not disappoint. It’s a quick read in that it’s a pretty short book, but also compelling with no real points to feel comfortable stopping (in a good way!). There’s a quote on the front cover from Publisher’s Weekly that calls Pearson’s writing “poetic” and I definitely got that vibe. While the chapters were short, they were full of detail and feeling. By the time I finished the book, I was both heartbroken and inspired. Thanks Snoop!

[Nicosha Liddell · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars!!

This was a really good read. I finished it in one day. Snoop’s story is riveting and captivating! I was able to see it as I read it like it was a movie!! It’s hard to imagine her experiences as realities. But she is brutally honest and that’s what I appreciate most. And I love the discretion as far as mama dropping. Glad to see things turn around for the better. :-)

[Kayleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Book

I just loved this book . It was definitely an eye opener, especially from a woman that grew up in the streets of Baltimore. I will read it over and over again. Hope she comes out with another book. Highly recommend this book!

[Dréya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of a drug addicted child raised in a tough neighborhood who mastered her skill but faced barriers before coming out on top. This book will keep you interested and saying "one more chapter." It was an easy read and I am glad this young lady has learned from her mistakes. Give it a read!

[Ms Rita Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grave after midnight

Recommended by a friend to read this and I'm style of language not really my style but it is here and we'll done wishing you all the best in the future that's what matters

[Barbara Whitlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful testimony that life can be good

Snoops testimony was truthful,riveting, and awe inspiring, Read it and you will understand the allure of the streets and gain power knowledge to resist it,

[Betheny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felicia Snoop Pearson

Snoop is honest. She was a thug. Went to prison. Had trouble coming home. Then she got an acting job on The Wire...playing Snoop! Well written, well edited, quick read about a different life from my own.

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend recommended this book, and I enjoyed it. You might appreciate it even more if you're a fan of "The Wire".

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a sample i read so far she has come a long long way.

[Mrs Nurse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book was a good read..just glad she made it out to see more than just this little city..exposure helped her elevate..and her courage..definitely put her on the map

[Emre Senoglu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A haunting story told with chilling detail. Feels like a darker version of a The Corner episode. It is a shame that it’s so short.