What do you think?
The Wound Is Where the Light Enters: A Memoir of Resilience
10 hours and 30 minutes
The inspiring memoir of a brilliant young man who, sentenced to life in prison, refused to surrender his future—a story so powerful that it transformed even the judge who handed down the sentence.
If our world were more just, Chris Young would have been crossing a stage at college graduation at the age of 22. Instead, he was marched into a maximum-security federal prison, facing life under mandatory drug sentencing laws. Like far too many young Black men from his neighborhood in Clarksville, Tennessee, this was where his story was supposed to end.
But one day in the prison library, a book caught his eye: an encyclopedia. As he began to turn the pages, Chris felt himself transported. Knowledge became a portal. He began to confront the nihilism around him, the trauma of his past, and the cruelty of a system determined to confine him. From the library, his cell, and even solitary confinement, Chris built an education from scratch, studying philosophy, art, anthropology, history, physics, and politics. He learned to analyze the stock market and taught himself how to code without a computer. He trained his mind—and refused to let prison dictate the limits of his imagination. At his sentencing hearing, Chris gave such a moving speech that the judge resigned from his lifetime appointment to the bench and fought to free him.
Started in solitary confinement and finished beyond bars, The Wound Is Where the Light Enters is a powerful meditation on choice, consequence, and human potential, told through the story of a man who was never given a chance—and who fought until, at last, he was.
The inspiring memoir of a brilliant young man who, sentenced to life in prison, refused to surrender his future—a story so powerful that it transformed even the judge who handed down the sentence.
If our world were more just, Chris Young would have been crossing a stage at college graduation at the age of 22. Instead, he was marched into a maximum-security federal prison, facing life under mandatory drug sentencing laws. Like far too many young Black men from his neighborhood in Clarksville, Tennessee, this was where his story was supposed to end.
But one day in the prison library, a book caught his eye: an encyclopedia. As he began to turn the pages, Chris felt himself transported. Knowledge became a portal. He began to confront the nihilism around him, the trauma of his past, and the cruelty of a system determined to confine him. From the library, his cell, and even solitary confinement, Chris built an education from scratch, studying philosophy, art, anthropology, history, physics, and politics. He learned to analyze the stock market and taught himself how to code without a computer. He trained his mind—and refused to let prison dictate the limits of his imagination. At his sentencing hearing, Chris gave such a moving speech that the judge resigned from his lifetime appointment to the bench and fought to free him.
Started in solitary confinement and finished beyond bars, The Wound Is Where the Light Enters is a powerful meditation on choice, consequence, and human potential, told through the story of a man who was never given a chance—and who fought until, at last, he was.
11 pages, Audible Audio
First published August 4, 2026
About the author
Chris Young
1 book30 followersChris Young is a consultant, author, and public speaker. Raised in Clarksville, Tennessee, he came of age in a community shaped by severe poverty, instability, and limited opportunity. Sentenced to life in prison under outdated federal drug laws, Chris spent more than a decade incarcerated. In 2021, he was granted executive clemency. Since his release, Chris has earned a degree in economics and public policy from Southern Methodist University and founded Coherence Consulting, a firm that uses data, policy analysis, and lived experience to reimagine how institutions invest in human potential. He lives in Dallas, Texas.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
Read
September 6, 2026""It was a true paradox. Jail was hell, no question. We were chattel to our keepers, no better than animals. Shit they treated animals better. But those hours I was reading, studying, thinking? That was different. In my mind, I felt freer than I'd ever felt in my entire life.
""In everything I read, I saw those reflections of myself. Of my experience, of my pain. Of my efforts to make sense of things. Every day I left the library with new language to put to my thoughts, new analogies from history to compare my situation with, to bounce my own developing theories off. I still lay sleepless in my cell, but now instead of with an endless cycle of bitter and fearful recriminations, my mind churned with new ideas. I felt awake, I felt less alone. My whole life I had felt misunderstood. Now I hung out with like-minded souls from all walks of life, from all time periods. I'd have James Allen posted up against the metal sink, Newton in his beret sitting in the corner, Leonardo da Vinci up the ladder drafting masterpieces in the ceiling. And we'd all talk like equals. Like friends with shared experiences. I'd found lifesaving community in my friends since i was a child, even when everything else was unbearable. And now I'd found it through books, through my own mind.
My emotional responses to the injustices of my predicament-- anger, hurt, outrage at the system, bitter disbelief--didn't go away. And my disgust at those that perpetuated this system-- the other guys in the county jail whose street loyalty and personal respect evaporated as soon as they faced jail time; or the prosecutors who didn't care how many lives they destroyed; as long as their resumes were stacked with convictions; or the laws that were so vague and unequal that, once I waded through the Latin enough to see what was happening, I simply couldn't believe they existed-- none of that disappeared.
""But my mind was growing. I still debated everything in my head, like Hamlet did. But in the company of the philosophers and artists I brought into my cell with me, I felt less tortured about it. The stakes were no less life and death. But I had new weapons in my disposal. And they were within me.""
--Chris Young
What is the experience like of being buried alive? For most of us, this is a very fictional quandary. For Chris Young and a generation of Black men like him, it is a routine proposition. This is because it's very commonplace for Chris and other men in his community to enter the meat grinder of mass incarceration and life sentences, minimum, for minimal offenses that most of us would call unreasonable and unbelievably disproportionate. In Chris' case, his offense was a third strike of drug selling, a nonviolent offense. He wasn't some drug kingpin with murders on his record. He was a corner street seller who had been caught with mere grams of drugs in total for his three violations. Yet at 26 years old, he was being sent to life sentence with no possibility for parole. This meant United States vs. Chris Young saw the sum total of his life, and weighed his contributions and potential to be worth a life in prison, with the only potential for release out being death.
But Chris wanted the judge hearing his case, and the readers now reading this book, to see differently. Through his legally granted speech, and now this book, he wanted others to see the person behind the conviction, the mind, and the life story. Chris' book shows that he never even got a slim chance. The childhood he knew had extreme tragedy and hardship. His mother succumbed to a crack addiction and gave, and received, a pattern of domestic violence. At age 7 and his brother at 13, Chris was on his own, with no electricity or running water, no glass on the windows, no food on the table except for the kindness of neighbors, as his mother's addiction run fully amok and she left them neglected and abandoned. Chris never had the tools to navigate life. The lessons he learned was that money was what's needed to survive, and the only economy in the street is selling drugs. He learned masculinity meant getting respect through money, striking and throwing down before you are perceived as weak, and showing love by providing for your family and community through drug money. He never learned the middle class lessons of getting long-term survival through education, for example; even less the wealthy class' lessons of investment or business empires. Meanwhile he and young men like him routinely got killed, or overdosed, or jailed with stiff sentences. These destroys not just their lives but the lives of their families and communities. His adoptive mother, Big Momma, had two sons dead in their twenties and one son locked up for 25 year-sentence.
Could Chris' childhood and life have been different if the system was different? That the answer is 'absolutely' should haunt us because there are thousands of men like him driven deep into jails, withering their lives, minds, potential due to outdated drug laws in the USA. As he says: if there was healthcare, his brother could have entered drug rehabilitation instead of losing his life by suicide. If there were opportunities for economic advancement, he could have found other jobs instead of street selling. If there were opportunities for nonviolent offenders, they could be employed and reinstated in society instead of turning back to drug selling when legal job choices shrink due to their past records. If there were food supports, maybe he and his brother wouldn't have to fend for themselves as mere children. And if there were education, therapy, and other community supports and role models for manhood, maybe they can imagine a different future for themselves rather than the spiral into drugs. As the author says, role models "are inspiration, and more-- permission" to imagine a radically different future. And before a different future can be achieved, or action pursued, first it must be imagined, conceived of.
These aspects may be a more difficult road. But one systemic mistreatment that could be fixed in one stroke is mandatory sentencing minimums that send young people like Chris into life sentences-- 'buried alive' in federal prisons- for nonviolent offenses such as drugs. This is still apparently a campaign in progress.
Chris retains so much compassion, joy, wisdom and love for others despite what's happened to him--11 years in federal prison, plus 3 years of pre-trial detention, and time in solitary confinement (not as punishment apparently but for their protection from COVID).
""Back then, I thought he had no choice but to give in. But sitting in the county years later, I saw the truth about how Robert had made the bravest decision possible; to walk beside me when he saw he couldn't stop me from walking into the fire. While his own world was crumbling, he still reached for my hand.
Robert and Gardner were both teaching me the same thing: Even when your options are limited, you still have the power to decide who you'll be.""
--Chris Young, p.203
Thank you to this book as it taught me things.
""In everything I read, I saw those reflections of myself. Of my experience, of my pain. Of my efforts to make sense of things. Every day I left the library with new language to put to my thoughts, new analogies from history to compare my situation with, to bounce my own developing theories off. I still lay sleepless in my cell, but now instead of with an endless cycle of bitter and fearful recriminations, my mind churned with new ideas. I felt awake, I felt less alone. My whole life I had felt misunderstood. Now I hung out with like-minded souls from all walks of life, from all time periods. I'd have James Allen posted up against the metal sink, Newton in his beret sitting in the corner, Leonardo da Vinci up the ladder drafting masterpieces in the ceiling. And we'd all talk like equals. Like friends with shared experiences. I'd found lifesaving community in my friends since i was a child, even when everything else was unbearable. And now I'd found it through books, through my own mind.
My emotional responses to the injustices of my predicament-- anger, hurt, outrage at the system, bitter disbelief--didn't go away. And my disgust at those that perpetuated this system-- the other guys in the county jail whose street loyalty and personal respect evaporated as soon as they faced jail time; or the prosecutors who didn't care how many lives they destroyed; as long as their resumes were stacked with convictions; or the laws that were so vague and unequal that, once I waded through the Latin enough to see what was happening, I simply couldn't believe they existed-- none of that disappeared.
""But my mind was growing. I still debated everything in my head, like Hamlet did. But in the company of the philosophers and artists I brought into my cell with me, I felt less tortured about it. The stakes were no less life and death. But I had new weapons in my disposal. And they were within me.""
--Chris Young
What is the experience like of being buried alive? For most of us, this is a very fictional quandary. For Chris Young and a generation of Black men like him, it is a routine proposition. This is because it's very commonplace for Chris and other men in his community to enter the meat grinder of mass incarceration and life sentences, minimum, for minimal offenses that most of us would call unreasonable and unbelievably disproportionate. In Chris' case, his offense was a third strike of drug selling, a nonviolent offense. He wasn't some drug kingpin with murders on his record. He was a corner street seller who had been caught with mere grams of drugs in total for his three violations. Yet at 26 years old, he was being sent to life sentence with no possibility for parole. This meant United States vs. Chris Young saw the sum total of his life, and weighed his contributions and potential to be worth a life in prison, with the only potential for release out being death.
But Chris wanted the judge hearing his case, and the readers now reading this book, to see differently. Through his legally granted speech, and now this book, he wanted others to see the person behind the conviction, the mind, and the life story. Chris' book shows that he never even got a slim chance. The childhood he knew had extreme tragedy and hardship. His mother succumbed to a crack addiction and gave, and received, a pattern of domestic violence. At age 7 and his brother at 13, Chris was on his own, with no electricity or running water, no glass on the windows, no food on the table except for the kindness of neighbors, as his mother's addiction run fully amok and she left them neglected and abandoned. Chris never had the tools to navigate life. The lessons he learned was that money was what's needed to survive, and the only economy in the street is selling drugs. He learned masculinity meant getting respect through money, striking and throwing down before you are perceived as weak, and showing love by providing for your family and community through drug money. He never learned the middle class lessons of getting long-term survival through education, for example; even less the wealthy class' lessons of investment or business empires. Meanwhile he and young men like him routinely got killed, or overdosed, or jailed with stiff sentences. These destroys not just their lives but the lives of their families and communities. His adoptive mother, Big Momma, had two sons dead in their twenties and one son locked up for 25 year-sentence.
Could Chris' childhood and life have been different if the system was different? That the answer is 'absolutely' should haunt us because there are thousands of men like him driven deep into jails, withering their lives, minds, potential due to outdated drug laws in the USA. As he says: if there was healthcare, his brother could have entered drug rehabilitation instead of losing his life by suicide. If there were opportunities for economic advancement, he could have found other jobs instead of street selling. If there were opportunities for nonviolent offenders, they could be employed and reinstated in society instead of turning back to drug selling when legal job choices shrink due to their past records. If there were food supports, maybe he and his brother wouldn't have to fend for themselves as mere children. And if there were education, therapy, and other community supports and role models for manhood, maybe they can imagine a different future for themselves rather than the spiral into drugs. As the author says, role models "are inspiration, and more-- permission" to imagine a radically different future. And before a different future can be achieved, or action pursued, first it must be imagined, conceived of.
These aspects may be a more difficult road. But one systemic mistreatment that could be fixed in one stroke is mandatory sentencing minimums that send young people like Chris into life sentences-- 'buried alive' in federal prisons- for nonviolent offenses such as drugs. This is still apparently a campaign in progress.
Chris retains so much compassion, joy, wisdom and love for others despite what's happened to him--11 years in federal prison, plus 3 years of pre-trial detention, and time in solitary confinement (not as punishment apparently but for their protection from COVID).
""Back then, I thought he had no choice but to give in. But sitting in the county years later, I saw the truth about how Robert had made the bravest decision possible; to walk beside me when he saw he couldn't stop me from walking into the fire. While his own world was crumbling, he still reached for my hand.
Robert and Gardner were both teaching me the same thing: Even when your options are limited, you still have the power to decide who you'll be.""
--Chris Young, p.203
Thank you to this book as it taught me things.
June 28, 2026
REVIEW OF ARC RECEIVED FROM GOODREADS
I don’t have adequate words to express how Chris Young’s book made me feel. This should be required reading in the U.S. . Human empathy and understanding of how we continue to feed into systems of oppression NEEDS to be addressed. Young was failed every step of the way, and yet he emerged as a beautiful soul longing to make the world a better place. Our country continues to incarcerate and then ignore so many, never truly allowing the “correctional” system to correct them. It’s in all our best interests to drastically overhaul this system and seek ways to prevent the suffering that leads to incarceration in the first place. Thank you to Chris Young and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC, and for opening my eyes to the injustices of our legal system.
I don’t have adequate words to express how Chris Young’s book made me feel. This should be required reading in the U.S. . Human empathy and understanding of how we continue to feed into systems of oppression NEEDS to be addressed. Young was failed every step of the way, and yet he emerged as a beautiful soul longing to make the world a better place. Our country continues to incarcerate and then ignore so many, never truly allowing the “correctional” system to correct them. It’s in all our best interests to drastically overhaul this system and seek ways to prevent the suffering that leads to incarceration in the first place. Thank you to Chris Young and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC, and for opening my eyes to the injustices of our legal system.
Want to Read
June 7, 2026I consider myself an autodidact in many arenas. A memoir about self-education while serving a life sentence in prison? Sounds like the kind of memoir that stays with me.
Click here to hear more about this book and my other anticipated releases of the upcoming quarter over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
Click here to hear more about this book and my other anticipated releases of the upcoming quarter over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
September 7, 2026
I couldn't stop highlighting passages from Chris Young's memoir. His account of the events leading to his incarceration is devastating because it's honest, and because it reveals how predictably our systems funnel young men toward prison rather than opportunity. The progression from poverty to criminalized survival feels less like tragedy and more like design.
Why do we invest billions in catching and convicting people rather than addressing the root causes? Why not prioritize education, economic opportunity, and poverty eradication instead? Young's story suggests the answer isn't about justice, it's about which communities we've decided are disposable.
The scale of this injustice is haunting. For every Chris Young, countless others remain trapped in dehumanizing prisons for drug offenses or other non-violent crimes. This fails not just taxpayers, but the incarcerated themselves and their communities, fractured by forced absence.
What makes Young's memoir memorable is that despite a system designed to break him, he refused to become a victim. He educated himself, resisted dehumanization, and stood firm in his beliefs even at tremendous personal cost. He's an inspiration.
Why do we invest billions in catching and convicting people rather than addressing the root causes? Why not prioritize education, economic opportunity, and poverty eradication instead? Young's story suggests the answer isn't about justice, it's about which communities we've decided are disposable.
The scale of this injustice is haunting. For every Chris Young, countless others remain trapped in dehumanizing prisons for drug offenses or other non-violent crimes. This fails not just taxpayers, but the incarcerated themselves and their communities, fractured by forced absence.
What makes Young's memoir memorable is that despite a system designed to break him, he refused to become a victim. He educated himself, resisted dehumanization, and stood firm in his beliefs even at tremendous personal cost. He's an inspiration.
September 9, 2026
What a powerful, well-written, and devastating memoir. Chris Young's childhood is beyond rough and with so many things stacked against him, it feels like there were few places for him to go except to the streets to try to make some money. When the three strikes law puts him in prison for life, he uses his time to expand his mind, educate himself, and advocate for changes in the system. Chris gave a powerful speech at his sentencing hearing to show the world that he was more than what the system had painted him to be. That speech inspired the judge to step down from the bench, and work to help get Chris Young free. That is the power of words. Young shows that reading and educating yourself can change your life. His book made me cry multiple times, but it was also inspiring to see the way he worked to change his life. It was also a great reminder that the criminal justice system in America is beyond broken and change is a necessary step if we truly want to claim to be a great country.
Read
September 17, 2026I thought about how curious I'd been as a child, but instead of making scientific discoveries of my own, here I was, strapped down like some kind of serial killer. Why did I choose exploitation over exploration? I would've been a great scientist. Why did I choose to sell dope? And the sad part was that the reason was so obvious, and so simple. Poverty.
August 19, 2026
One of the best memoirs I’ve read in a long time. An inspiring and relentless story of Chris Young who faced life in prison without parole after the 3 strike rule. Facing oppression not only from the judicial system, Young manages to create his own choice in a world where he wasn’t given many. The choice to harness his inner strength and voice.
A resilient story and a must read for the year
A resilient story and a must read for the year
August 10, 2026
This is the memoir of Chris Young, who ended up facing life in a maximum security prison. Like many others this was supposed to be his life story. Chris began reading in the prison library and educated himself refusing to give in.
This is the story of an unfair life, but making the most out of it. It’s the story of resilience, self motivation, education and positive mindset.
This is the story of an unfair life, but making the most out of it. It’s the story of resilience, self motivation, education and positive mindset.
September 16, 2026
I was incredibly moved by The Wound Is Where the Light Enters. Chris Young tells his story with such honesty and insight that I found myself stopping again and again. Not just because of what he survived, but because of the way he understands and reflects on it now. His deeply vast grasp of different philosophers, economists, historians, and activists was astounding in it's complexity and his level of analysis.
One of the moments that affected me most comes when Chris writes about a teacher giving him the first two Harry Potter books, the first real gift he remembers receiving. He recognizes so much of himself in Harry: a boy who is unwanted, mistreated, and searching for a place where he belongs. But Chris sees Harry as lucky because Harry is fictional. There is an ending written for him. Someone has already decided that his suffering will mean something. Chris had no such guarantee.
There are so many observations throughout this book that are devastating in their simplicity. He describes how drugs created a world where adults behaved like children while children believed they were men. Later, he reflects on trying to fight the fire of poverty with the fire of crime, only to end up burned himself. These aren't just clever turns of phrase, they actually capture the impossible circumstances in which he was trying to survive.
But what makes this book extraordinary isn't simply the hardship. It's what Chris ultimately does with it. Someone tells him to appreciate what he's been through because it "makes love come outta you," and that idea feels like the heart of the entire book. His story could so easily have been told with bitterness, and instead there is so much humanity, compassion, accountability, and hope.
This is an incredibly poignant book about poverty, addiction, crime, education, opportunity, and the people who can alter the trajectory of a life, sometimes without even realizing they're doing it. Chris Young's story will stay with me for a very long time.
One of the moments that affected me most comes when Chris writes about a teacher giving him the first two Harry Potter books, the first real gift he remembers receiving. He recognizes so much of himself in Harry: a boy who is unwanted, mistreated, and searching for a place where he belongs. But Chris sees Harry as lucky because Harry is fictional. There is an ending written for him. Someone has already decided that his suffering will mean something. Chris had no such guarantee.
There are so many observations throughout this book that are devastating in their simplicity. He describes how drugs created a world where adults behaved like children while children believed they were men. Later, he reflects on trying to fight the fire of poverty with the fire of crime, only to end up burned himself. These aren't just clever turns of phrase, they actually capture the impossible circumstances in which he was trying to survive.
But what makes this book extraordinary isn't simply the hardship. It's what Chris ultimately does with it. Someone tells him to appreciate what he's been through because it "makes love come outta you," and that idea feels like the heart of the entire book. His story could so easily have been told with bitterness, and instead there is so much humanity, compassion, accountability, and hope.
This is an incredibly poignant book about poverty, addiction, crime, education, opportunity, and the people who can alter the trajectory of a life, sometimes without even realizing they're doing it. Chris Young's story will stay with me for a very long time.
September 22, 2026
"He was only nine then and already talking like a man, even if his hands were still too small to make a fist that could change anything. And I was his student, learning what it looked like to be angry and helpless at the same time."
"Crack cocaine had created an upside down world, where adults begged from children and children believed they were men."
"But I could feel the pattern shifting. My new behaviors, my choices--especially my decision to speak at my own sentencing--were manifesting relationships and connections with the free world that gave me a glimmer of hope. And the choices I mad in prison to engage my mind, to challenge my old ways of handling trauma, and to educate myself and heal, were beginning to create outputs for me that allowed me to truly dream of a future life unbound by poverty, prison cells, or pain."
I really appreciated this book by Chris Young. He is an incredible man who was dealt an oppressive and debilitating hand, suffered and ultimately refused to be defined by it. Above all, I was most impressed by his humility, incredible self reflection and self awareness as well as grit and determination. He is truly the epitome of "rising from the ashes." My only complaint was I would have liked to have known more about how Chris chose to spend his time and knowledge "on the outside", perhaps in an epilogue. An incredible testament to the power of what a child can be capable of when they are not hungry, given an opportunity to learn and loved.
"Crack cocaine had created an upside down world, where adults begged from children and children believed they were men."
"But I could feel the pattern shifting. My new behaviors, my choices--especially my decision to speak at my own sentencing--were manifesting relationships and connections with the free world that gave me a glimmer of hope. And the choices I mad in prison to engage my mind, to challenge my old ways of handling trauma, and to educate myself and heal, were beginning to create outputs for me that allowed me to truly dream of a future life unbound by poverty, prison cells, or pain."
I really appreciated this book by Chris Young. He is an incredible man who was dealt an oppressive and debilitating hand, suffered and ultimately refused to be defined by it. Above all, I was most impressed by his humility, incredible self reflection and self awareness as well as grit and determination. He is truly the epitome of "rising from the ashes." My only complaint was I would have liked to have known more about how Chris chose to spend his time and knowledge "on the outside", perhaps in an epilogue. An incredible testament to the power of what a child can be capable of when they are not hungry, given an opportunity to learn and loved.
September 16, 2026
Absolutely incredible, we are so lucky that Chris Young shared his story. A reminder that education is life saving, access is freedom and the systems in our country are royally f'ed up.
The way Chris talked about representation and seeing himself in the stories of the books he read during his prison sentence made me so emotional. This should be required reading - I know this one is going to stick with me.
The way Chris talked about representation and seeing himself in the stories of the books he read during his prison sentence made me so emotional. This should be required reading - I know this one is going to stick with me.
September 17, 2026
As someone going through depression, grief and recovering from an eating disorder, sometimes I feel exhausted. I talk down on myself and many days, I want to give up but I want to keep going at the same time. How can I, as the one experiencing all these things, also be the person to will myself into action? Life is hard but Chris’ belief in himself and his powers has renewed my desire and belief in what I can do and what I am capable of. This is a memoir I will leave on display as a reminder to always let the light in.
September 5, 2026
Wow this story is just awful yet know it happens to so many people out there. What Chris overcomes and his dedication to learning the worst possible environments is inspiring. Also some people seriously just suck and are awful human beings - not unchaining this man post hip surgery 😭
September 2, 2026
Chris young the man that you are!!!! Absolutely a must read memoir!
September 20, 2026
Powerful. Unbelievable story. I cried I was inspired and I want nothing more than for Chris Young to succeed in every endeavor.
August 29, 2026
Great memoir. It seems like Chris has committed to turning his life around and creating positive change now that he’s been released from prison. I’m looking forward to what he does next!
August 26, 2026
WOW. This book is so powerful. It needs to be read by all. The injustice of our American justice system has always deeply grieved my heart. This sheds light on many of the horrific truths that exist and the reality of why it is this way. We desperately need to completely reform the way we approach criminal justice in this country. Chris’ story is deeply inspirational. Highly recommend this one.
August 23, 2026
Chris Young rose from an emotionally chaotic, violence-infused childhood to become a speaker, a writer and an inspiration, as he details in his powerful memoir, THE WOUND IS WHERE THE LIGHT ENTERS.
Young’s early life was spent in extreme poverty as the member of a Black family that could show love but had little of it to offer. Senseless brutality and a total lack of structure made him a witness to --- and a participant in --- wounding, fighting, gangs, street crimes and, by his early 20s, sufficient drug-related entanglement to portend a life in prison. But one factor made him stand out.
When facing his final sentencing after several years of incarceration, Young delivered a speech to the judge, Kevin Sharp, who never forgot his remarkable grasp of history, literature and science. Sent to a high-security federal prison, he accepted his circumstances, described in depressing detail, while refusing to relinquish his belief that “if I planted the seeds, something would grow.”
Young began teaching, an activity that supported his sense of purpose, and maintained contact with acquaintances on the outside who sent him books and continued to encourage him in his belief that he might be free someday. He endured physical and mental anguish, battled internal anger, and relied on routine to cope with the seeming hopelessness of his situation.
After a decade of the mental darkness that he strove to alleviate with such strategies as reading HAMLET and identifying with its eponymous character, Young’s sentence was commuted. This was based largely on the speech he had given and its influence on Judge Sharp, who had joined a legal team seeking his clemency.
Since his release, Young has earned a degree in economics, founded a consulting firm, and become a public speaker. And in THE WOUND IS WHERE THE LIGHT ENTERS, he distinguishes himself as an accomplished author. Much of his stirring memoir was written while he was in prison, and he offers a vivid, at times painful, view of a harsh childhood and the undeniably discomfiting conditions that many prisoners may face. He has said that the book is his effort “to preserve the record and to tell the truth.”
Young’s chronicle opens with a declaration from the now-retired Judge Sharp. Recognizing that skin color was undoubtedly a factor in Young’s treatment and torment, he declares that his courtroom speech “transformed my life.” With such support, paired with Young’s undeniable skills as a stimulating and inspirational wordsmith, this dramatic saga has the potential to influence and enhearten readers across a wide spectrum.
Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott
Young’s early life was spent in extreme poverty as the member of a Black family that could show love but had little of it to offer. Senseless brutality and a total lack of structure made him a witness to --- and a participant in --- wounding, fighting, gangs, street crimes and, by his early 20s, sufficient drug-related entanglement to portend a life in prison. But one factor made him stand out.
When facing his final sentencing after several years of incarceration, Young delivered a speech to the judge, Kevin Sharp, who never forgot his remarkable grasp of history, literature and science. Sent to a high-security federal prison, he accepted his circumstances, described in depressing detail, while refusing to relinquish his belief that “if I planted the seeds, something would grow.”
Young began teaching, an activity that supported his sense of purpose, and maintained contact with acquaintances on the outside who sent him books and continued to encourage him in his belief that he might be free someday. He endured physical and mental anguish, battled internal anger, and relied on routine to cope with the seeming hopelessness of his situation.
After a decade of the mental darkness that he strove to alleviate with such strategies as reading HAMLET and identifying with its eponymous character, Young’s sentence was commuted. This was based largely on the speech he had given and its influence on Judge Sharp, who had joined a legal team seeking his clemency.
Since his release, Young has earned a degree in economics, founded a consulting firm, and become a public speaker. And in THE WOUND IS WHERE THE LIGHT ENTERS, he distinguishes himself as an accomplished author. Much of his stirring memoir was written while he was in prison, and he offers a vivid, at times painful, view of a harsh childhood and the undeniably discomfiting conditions that many prisoners may face. He has said that the book is his effort “to preserve the record and to tell the truth.”
Young’s chronicle opens with a declaration from the now-retired Judge Sharp. Recognizing that skin color was undoubtedly a factor in Young’s treatment and torment, he declares that his courtroom speech “transformed my life.” With such support, paired with Young’s undeniable skills as a stimulating and inspirational wordsmith, this dramatic saga has the potential to influence and enhearten readers across a wide spectrum.
Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott
September 28, 2026
4.7
😭😭😭
w o w.
was a very timely read for me.
his resilience and his hunger to learn and meditate on what he read…not the average person for sure.
v inspiring.
quotes:
1.
“But this was my life, and I'd learned in all the books I'd been reading that a man's belief in his willpower can move mountains.”
2.
“Crack cocaine had created an upside-down world, where adults begged from children and children believed they were men.”
3.
“Robert knew he needed help — with his drug problem and his depression. He turned himself in for a probation violation. Told his probation officer there was no other way for him to get support and asked to be sent to rehab. Instead, they took him straight to the county jail to serve an eight-month sentence. For them, when it came to us, jail was always the answer.”
4.
“Allen says that people make their own world, even their own suffering. If you change your thoughts, he says, you can change your life. It was so simple, and so profound.”
5.
“Those fights weren't about the other dudes in jail with me.
They were about rage against a system that had written "finished" on my future when I'd barely started living. Every punch thrown was just a way for me to feel something other than despair.”
6.
“Anger, that first manifestation of grief, raced through me. For a few minutes, I dwelled on thoughts of revenge. A sentence from East of Eden flashed through my mind: ‘Sometimes a man wants to be stupid if it lets him do a thing his cleverness forbids.’”
7.
“A real gym, pool tables, a basketball court, a track — and the flowers. I hadn't seen a flower in five years. I made myself a promise to look at them every day.
That first week I'd just stand there and stare at them, taking in their delicate radiance, their color. I would lie in my bed at night — not a bunk, an actual bed - and breathe easy for the first time in a long time.”
8.
"Keep your head up, King, or the crown will fall."
9.
“The wound is where the light enters — but it's also where light expands. Where survival becomes vision, and pain becomes purpose.
Before prison, I used to think freedom was a destination. Now I know it's a state of mind — one I built, choice by choice, thought by thought, until my mentality became my reality.
And I'm still building.
Still believing.
Still letting the light in.”
10.
“And finally, to every reader holding this
book -- thank you for seeing me. My hope is that my story reminds you that even in the darkest places, you have the power to choose to let the light enter through your wounds, and when it does, it will heal you, nurture you, and help you rise.”
😭😭😭
w o w.
was a very timely read for me.
his resilience and his hunger to learn and meditate on what he read…not the average person for sure.
v inspiring.
quotes:
1.
“But this was my life, and I'd learned in all the books I'd been reading that a man's belief in his willpower can move mountains.”
2.
“Crack cocaine had created an upside-down world, where adults begged from children and children believed they were men.”
3.
“Robert knew he needed help — with his drug problem and his depression. He turned himself in for a probation violation. Told his probation officer there was no other way for him to get support and asked to be sent to rehab. Instead, they took him straight to the county jail to serve an eight-month sentence. For them, when it came to us, jail was always the answer.”
4.
“Allen says that people make their own world, even their own suffering. If you change your thoughts, he says, you can change your life. It was so simple, and so profound.”
5.
“Those fights weren't about the other dudes in jail with me.
They were about rage against a system that had written "finished" on my future when I'd barely started living. Every punch thrown was just a way for me to feel something other than despair.”
6.
“Anger, that first manifestation of grief, raced through me. For a few minutes, I dwelled on thoughts of revenge. A sentence from East of Eden flashed through my mind: ‘Sometimes a man wants to be stupid if it lets him do a thing his cleverness forbids.’”
7.
“A real gym, pool tables, a basketball court, a track — and the flowers. I hadn't seen a flower in five years. I made myself a promise to look at them every day.
That first week I'd just stand there and stare at them, taking in their delicate radiance, their color. I would lie in my bed at night — not a bunk, an actual bed - and breathe easy for the first time in a long time.”
8.
"Keep your head up, King, or the crown will fall."
9.
“The wound is where the light enters — but it's also where light expands. Where survival becomes vision, and pain becomes purpose.
Before prison, I used to think freedom was a destination. Now I know it's a state of mind — one I built, choice by choice, thought by thought, until my mentality became my reality.
And I'm still building.
Still believing.
Still letting the light in.”
10.
“And finally, to every reader holding this
book -- thank you for seeing me. My hope is that my story reminds you that even in the darkest places, you have the power to choose to let the light enter through your wounds, and when it does, it will heal you, nurture you, and help you rise.”
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This one stayed with me.
The Wound Is Where the Light Enters by Chris Young is a memoir, but it reads more like a look into what someone does when everything is stacked against them—and they still refuse to stay there.
His story is heavy from the start—growing up in poverty, surrounded by addiction, and honestly feeling like prison or death were the only outcomes. And then at 22, that becomes real with a life sentence. That alone is a lot to sit with.
But what really got me wasn’t just what happened to him—it was what he did after. The level of discipline and drive to educate himself while in prison… learning everything from philosophy to quantum physics, teaching himself how to code without even having a computer… it’s kind of unreal.
I’ll say this too—coming into this as a white woman, I appreciated it in a different way. It gave me insight into experiences, systems, and realities that I haven’t lived. It didn’t feel like it was trying to teach me anything—it just told the truth, and that’s what made it impactful.
It’s not a fast read. Some parts are dense, especially when he gets deeper into what he’s learning and thinking. I found myself taking breaks and coming back to it, but not in a bad way—it’s just the kind of book you need to sit with.
For me, this wasn’t emotional in a tearful way—it was more of a perspective shift. It makes you think about how much potential is out there that never gets the chance to be seen… and how different things could look if systems were different.
If you like real-life stories, resilience, and books that make you stop and think instead of just entertain you, this one is worth reading.
The Wound Is Where the Light Enters by Chris Young is a memoir, but it reads more like a look into what someone does when everything is stacked against them—and they still refuse to stay there.
His story is heavy from the start—growing up in poverty, surrounded by addiction, and honestly feeling like prison or death were the only outcomes. And then at 22, that becomes real with a life sentence. That alone is a lot to sit with.
But what really got me wasn’t just what happened to him—it was what he did after. The level of discipline and drive to educate himself while in prison… learning everything from philosophy to quantum physics, teaching himself how to code without even having a computer… it’s kind of unreal.
I’ll say this too—coming into this as a white woman, I appreciated it in a different way. It gave me insight into experiences, systems, and realities that I haven’t lived. It didn’t feel like it was trying to teach me anything—it just told the truth, and that’s what made it impactful.
It’s not a fast read. Some parts are dense, especially when he gets deeper into what he’s learning and thinking. I found myself taking breaks and coming back to it, but not in a bad way—it’s just the kind of book you need to sit with.
For me, this wasn’t emotional in a tearful way—it was more of a perspective shift. It makes you think about how much potential is out there that never gets the chance to be seen… and how different things could look if systems were different.
If you like real-life stories, resilience, and books that make you stop and think instead of just entertain you, this one is worth reading.
September 10, 2026
A beautiful story of redemption, resilience, and the restriction a life of poverty can bring on everyone, especially children.
Chris is only a year younger than me, and strangely, we both lived in Clarksville at the same time in the mid-1990s. Though we were in close proximity, the dichotomy of our lives almost astounds me. His mother was a crackhead, unfit and unable to care for him. My mother was a stay-at-home mom with a husband a major in the army. I spent my free time reading, playing with kids my age, listening to Mariah Carey and watching Pocahontas. He was dealing drugs, trying to dodge violence and guns at every turn, and was in and out of foster care, even contemplating suicide at age 10. How my heart breaks for him.
So I guess it wasn’t a surprise when he was caught with a small amount of drugs, had ineffective representation in his public offender, didn’t understand what it meant to take a plea, and ended up being sentenced two life sentences as part of the mandatory minimums with judges’ hands completely tied.
But the resilience! The redemption! The determination! he found in prison despite being told he’d never get out is astounding. It seems he really only reached his full potential once he was in prison and taken out of the lifestyle he basically had no choice in on the outside. I would say prison did what it was supposed to do for him—being removed from that lifestyle made him a better person and after so much work and determination, he was able to walk free essentially taking that plea he had rejected all those years ago, which ended up translating to time served I just wish it wasn’t prison that had to make him reach and show his full potential.
Chris is only a year younger than me, and strangely, we both lived in Clarksville at the same time in the mid-1990s. Though we were in close proximity, the dichotomy of our lives almost astounds me. His mother was a crackhead, unfit and unable to care for him. My mother was a stay-at-home mom with a husband a major in the army. I spent my free time reading, playing with kids my age, listening to Mariah Carey and watching Pocahontas. He was dealing drugs, trying to dodge violence and guns at every turn, and was in and out of foster care, even contemplating suicide at age 10. How my heart breaks for him.
So I guess it wasn’t a surprise when he was caught with a small amount of drugs, had ineffective representation in his public offender, didn’t understand what it meant to take a plea, and ended up being sentenced two life sentences as part of the mandatory minimums with judges’ hands completely tied.
But the resilience! The redemption! The determination! he found in prison despite being told he’d never get out is astounding. It seems he really only reached his full potential once he was in prison and taken out of the lifestyle he basically had no choice in on the outside. I would say prison did what it was supposed to do for him—being removed from that lifestyle made him a better person and after so much work and determination, he was able to walk free essentially taking that plea he had rejected all those years ago, which ended up translating to time served I just wish it wasn’t prison that had to make him reach and show his full potential.
August 5, 2026
The Wound Is Where the Light Enters is an extraordinary memoir that demonstrates the remarkable resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of knowledge.
What I appreciated most is Chris Young's refusal to allow prison to define the limits of his future. Faced with a life sentence under mandatory sentencing laws, he chose not to surrender to despair but to educate himself with relentless determination. His story reminds readers that true freedom often begins in the mind, long before circumstances change.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its balance between personal narrative and broader social reflection. Young's journey exposes the devastating consequences of systemic injustice while never losing sight of the individual choices that shaped his remarkable transformation. His commitment to learning—studying philosophy, history, coding, economics, science, and more under unimaginable conditions—becomes a powerful testament to the capacity for growth even in the harshest environments.
At its heart, The Wound Is Where the Light Enters is about hope, accountability, and the belief that every human being possesses untapped potential. It is a reminder that education can become an act of liberation, resilience can flourish in impossible places, and one transformed life can inspire profound change in countless others.
An unforgettable memoir for readers interested in resilience, criminal justice reform, education, personal transformation, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
What I appreciated most is Chris Young's refusal to allow prison to define the limits of his future. Faced with a life sentence under mandatory sentencing laws, he chose not to surrender to despair but to educate himself with relentless determination. His story reminds readers that true freedom often begins in the mind, long before circumstances change.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its balance between personal narrative and broader social reflection. Young's journey exposes the devastating consequences of systemic injustice while never losing sight of the individual choices that shaped his remarkable transformation. His commitment to learning—studying philosophy, history, coding, economics, science, and more under unimaginable conditions—becomes a powerful testament to the capacity for growth even in the harshest environments.
At its heart, The Wound Is Where the Light Enters is about hope, accountability, and the belief that every human being possesses untapped potential. It is a reminder that education can become an act of liberation, resilience can flourish in impossible places, and one transformed life can inspire profound change in countless others.
An unforgettable memoir for readers interested in resilience, criminal justice reform, education, personal transformation, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
August 30, 2026
Chris Young takes us with him on his life journey, from childhood to his days in prison. As a non-American I probably don’t have as much knowledge about the American justice system, but in general, it just feels so unfair to so many people.
I still don’t understand how someone like Chris could get a life sentence. I’m not saying he shouldn’t have gone to prison, but for that long? It just makes no sense to me. How is it fair that someone can get such a long sentence for a drug offense, while someone who commits murder might potentially get less time?
And then there’s the prison system itself. I feel like prisons should do much more to actually prepare people to reintegrate into society. Prisoners should be followed more closely and given more support. Of course, I know all of this is much easier to say than to actually put into practice.
And in my opinion, the most important thing is that more help should be given to children in situations like Chris’s. The system should be there for kids who are struggling instead of just waiting until things get worse. Chris had so much potential from such a young age. He talks about having great grades and clearly being a very intelligent kid, but no one really cared enough to see that and help him.
In the end, what amazes me the most is that, even after everything he went through, Chris was still able to find the strength to keep learning and to keep pushing himself forward. I think that was probably the most inspiring part of his story, and I truly believe he will inspire many people in the future.
I still don’t understand how someone like Chris could get a life sentence. I’m not saying he shouldn’t have gone to prison, but for that long? It just makes no sense to me. How is it fair that someone can get such a long sentence for a drug offense, while someone who commits murder might potentially get less time?
And then there’s the prison system itself. I feel like prisons should do much more to actually prepare people to reintegrate into society. Prisoners should be followed more closely and given more support. Of course, I know all of this is much easier to say than to actually put into practice.
And in my opinion, the most important thing is that more help should be given to children in situations like Chris’s. The system should be there for kids who are struggling instead of just waiting until things get worse. Chris had so much potential from such a young age. He talks about having great grades and clearly being a very intelligent kid, but no one really cared enough to see that and help him.
In the end, what amazes me the most is that, even after everything he went through, Chris was still able to find the strength to keep learning and to keep pushing himself forward. I think that was probably the most inspiring part of his story, and I truly believe he will inspire many people in the future.
September 9, 2026
The story of Chris Young who grew up in poverty and terrible conditions. His mother became a crack addict. His father was never in the picture. He went from living in a house with no water or electricity to being dumped on a neighbor who could provide those things but did not provide hugs, love, clothes, presents on holidays...
Chris and his brother learn at a young age that drugs are the way to get money and money is the way to survive. He is a smart kid with no one fostering his intelligence. By 22, after his brother has died by suicide, he is sentenced to life in prison on a small potatoes drug charge because of the Three Strikes Law. HIs impassioned address to the court where he lets them know that he has spent his incarcerated time educating himself so moves the life-time appointed judge that the judge leaves the bench.
The book is the story of broken America - failing kids with potential, failing of the judicial system, failing of the politics of it all.
While Chris’ life is heartbreaking and inspirational I feel like his writing leaves out some of the emotion he was surely feeling. Better books which show the insanity of the prison system in my opinion are, [The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison, Just Mercy, and Stranger in Two Worlds. But then, maybe I’ve just read too many of these sorts of books so I am biased toward my earlier reads.](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...)
Chris and his brother learn at a young age that drugs are the way to get money and money is the way to survive. He is a smart kid with no one fostering his intelligence. By 22, after his brother has died by suicide, he is sentenced to life in prison on a small potatoes drug charge because of the Three Strikes Law. HIs impassioned address to the court where he lets them know that he has spent his incarcerated time educating himself so moves the life-time appointed judge that the judge leaves the bench.
The book is the story of broken America - failing kids with potential, failing of the judicial system, failing of the politics of it all.
While Chris’ life is heartbreaking and inspirational I feel like his writing leaves out some of the emotion he was surely feeling. Better books which show the insanity of the prison system in my opinion are, [The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison, Just Mercy, and Stranger in Two Worlds. But then, maybe I’ve just read too many of these sorts of books so I am biased toward my earlier reads.](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...)
August 29, 2026
Chris Young was raised in extreme poverty. His mother and the men she lived with often fought. At one point, while his mother was on drugs, their home had no water and no electricity. There was no food in the house. He went to school and received excellent grades. He was smart and loved to learn.
He was sent to prison for life due to the "three strikes" mandate. It was in prison where he began reading every book that he could get his hands on. He read Greek and modern philosophers, biographies, science, Shakespeare and modern classics. He asked friends to send him books. He was eventually released and graduated from SMU. He is now a successful businessman.
This book made me think of the children who experience a life like that of Chris. No one, especially a child should have to experience what he experienced. How many other potential scientists, engineers, doctors, etc. fail to live up to their potential because of poverty, imprisonment, environment. How much potential is wasted because of societal and political attitudes?
He was sent to prison for life due to the "three strikes" mandate. It was in prison where he began reading every book that he could get his hands on. He read Greek and modern philosophers, biographies, science, Shakespeare and modern classics. He asked friends to send him books. He was eventually released and graduated from SMU. He is now a successful businessman.
This book made me think of the children who experience a life like that of Chris. No one, especially a child should have to experience what he experienced. How many other potential scientists, engineers, doctors, etc. fail to live up to their potential because of poverty, imprisonment, environment. How much potential is wasted because of societal and political attitudes?
September 7, 2026
This was an amazing book about determination, resilience, and the power of finding peace within yourself, regardless of what the people around you are trying to do.
Chris Young’s story also shows the power of community, both in how it can fail people and how it can help carry them forward. Too many people in situations like Chris’s are never shown another way or given a real chance. They do what they have to do to survive, often following the only examples they have ever known.
I also loved the role books played throughout his story. The books Chris read helped him see beyond his immediate surroundings and imagine something different for his life. His reflections have already influenced my own reading list, including adding East of Eden to my books to be read.
It started a little slowly for me, to be clear, but the final two-thirds blazed by. I read with anticipation, felt emotions I have not felt from a book in a while, and kept hoping the outcome would be the one I already knew it was.
Chris Young’s story also shows the power of community, both in how it can fail people and how it can help carry them forward. Too many people in situations like Chris’s are never shown another way or given a real chance. They do what they have to do to survive, often following the only examples they have ever known.
I also loved the role books played throughout his story. The books Chris read helped him see beyond his immediate surroundings and imagine something different for his life. His reflections have already influenced my own reading list, including adding East of Eden to my books to be read.
It started a little slowly for me, to be clear, but the final two-thirds blazed by. I read with anticipation, felt emotions I have not felt from a book in a while, and kept hoping the outcome would be the one I already knew it was.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Loved, loved this memoir of a young man who was sentenced to a life sentence in a penitentiary in the deep south. What was meant to break him instead freed him from past trauma. The author discovered the library and began a journey of self education. He devoured knowledge about financial markets, philosophy, art, anthropology, history, physics, and taught himself how to code without a computer. The odds were definitely against Chris as he was young, black and suffered from Sickle Cell disease but he had a choice; a choice to free himself using his mind, integrity, and loyalty. He explains how incarceration can be seen as modern day slavery and readers, if they're self aware, will be left uncomfortable with our government. I was.
This should be read by everyone but I have a feeling it would be quickly banned. ***Kim Kardashian appealed to President Trump to get Chris released.
"The mind is a terrible thing to waste." (NAACP)
* I read an advance copy and was not compensated
This should be read by everyone but I have a feeling it would be quickly banned. ***Kim Kardashian appealed to President Trump to get Chris released.
"The mind is a terrible thing to waste." (NAACP)
* I read an advance copy and was not compensated
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
This was a powerful and eye-opening memoir. Chris Young shares the story of his life with honesty, covering everything from selling drugs and losing family and friends to violence, to being sentenced to life in prison at just 21 years old.
What stood out most to me was how he chose to transform his life while incarcerated. Instead of giving up, he immersed himself in books, educating himself and finding a new sense of purpose. His journey is both heartbreaking and inspiring.
The book also paints a vivid picture of what it's like to grow up in an underprivileged neighborhood, helping readers better understand the environment and circumstances that shaped many of the choices he made. Whether or not you agree with those choices, it's difficult not to come away with greater empathy and a deeper understanding of his story.
This is a compelling read that will stay with me for a long time.
This was a powerful and eye-opening memoir. Chris Young shares the story of his life with honesty, covering everything from selling drugs and losing family and friends to violence, to being sentenced to life in prison at just 21 years old.
What stood out most to me was how he chose to transform his life while incarcerated. Instead of giving up, he immersed himself in books, educating himself and finding a new sense of purpose. His journey is both heartbreaking and inspiring.
The book also paints a vivid picture of what it's like to grow up in an underprivileged neighborhood, helping readers better understand the environment and circumstances that shaped many of the choices he made. Whether or not you agree with those choices, it's difficult not to come away with greater empathy and a deeper understanding of his story.
This is a compelling read that will stay with me for a long time.
September 9, 2026
This will be one of my most memorable reads of 2026. It’s the incredible story of Chris Young, who grew up with a crack addicted mom in a poor drug infested neighborhood without lights or plumbing, food or clean clothes. Eventually he is sent to prison with a life sentence at an early age. Through books, exercise and perseverance, he becomes a better person and fights for his release. First, we see the horrors of the poor neighborhoods and the toll they take on the children. Then we are shown the absolute injustices of the court system and the inhumane treatments in the federal prisons. His writing is superb, his story amazing. This book exemplifies the power of reading and the power of the mind. America needs to do better. Thank you, Chris Young for writing this memoir. You have so much to be proud of and are teaching us all.
“”Even when your options are limited, you still have the power to decide who you’ll be.”
“”Even when your options are limited, you still have the power to decide who you’ll be.”
September 19, 2026
This book has opened my eyes to how critical I am of people who have made bad choices but did not have any of the resources that I have been blessed with. Chris Young is the same age as my oldest son. I raised three sons who never had to worry about any of the basic necessities in life: food, clothing, shelter, etc; Additionally, my sons had 2 fully employed parents, a safe neighborhood, extensive extra curricular activities, and security. Chris Young was afforded none of these luxuries that I take for granted.
How he survived his childhood alone is to be commended. However, the perils of his childhood pale in comparison to prison life.
This book has greatly impacted me. I have recently retired from teaching and am in the process of evaluating what I want to do with my extra time. I now have many ideas stirring that involve our present system of “rehabilitation” .
I strongly recommend this book!
How he survived his childhood alone is to be commended. However, the perils of his childhood pale in comparison to prison life.
This book has greatly impacted me. I have recently retired from teaching and am in the process of evaluating what I want to do with my extra time. I now have many ideas stirring that involve our present system of “rehabilitation” .
I strongly recommend this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews