The Fall and Rise of Tyler Johnson: Based on the Journals of a Young Man Turned Fugitive

by Patrice Johnson, Kelsey Johnson (Foreword)

The book is full of vivid people and places. The conflicts are intense and compelling and heartbreaking. This is a rich book—emotionally, psychologically, intellectually. It’s the best kind of creative nonfiction. It’s both topical and poignant.
—Mark Spencer, author of Ghost Walking and A Haunted Love Story

Patrice Johnson weaves a powerful account of her son’s life as a fugitive of the US government. Her creative nonfiction work shows the price of living in a post-9/11 world and the limitations of law and order. It reveals the degradations of homelessness and the resilience of the human spirit.

Tyler Johnson has a bright future ahead of him. Major scientific journals have published his research in quantum physics and in artificial intelligence, and he has recently graduated from Caltech. He has a position in a doctoral program at the University of New Mexico waiting for him, but before he can arrive at the school, everything changes.

Tyler and his friend Danny Blair plan to affix bumper stickers in protest of gas guzzling vehicles at SUV dealerships in California. The evening of binge drinking spins out of control, and a Hummer catches on fire.

Suddenly, Tyler, a brilliant presidential merit scholar, is labeled an environmental extremist, a domestic terrorist. He has two choices. He can come forward and risk spending the rest of his years in prison, or he can run for his life with the woman he loves.

Tyler runs.

The story that follows shows the ramifications of one impulsive mistake and a young man’s struggle against seemingly irreversible consequences. It serves as a warning flag to all who may feel tempted to cross to the wrong side of the law. A portion of the royalties will be donated to LCJP, the Longmont Community Justice Partnership.

515 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 17, 2017

About the author

Patrice Johnson is publishing her account of the life of her son, Tyler, to tell the true story. Patrice graduated summa cum laude from Alma College with double majors in English and Philosophy. She received her master’s degree in English literature from Michigan State University. When her children were young, she taught high school English and community college writing. During her sixteen-year stint in the computer industry, she founded three successful technology companies, served as vice president of marketing and communications with a Fortune 500 company, and was a weekly columnist for the industry’s largest trade publication. She has been quoted in USA Today and Business Week, and her writings have received six first-place awards from the Michigan Press Women. She currently serves as editor-in-chief for a multi-media community news service. She and her husband live on their eighty-acre farm in the Midwest.
amazon.com/author/patricejohnson

Reviews

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book with two stories, both tragedies.

One story is the narrative, the tragedy of Tyler’s life. The author portrays Tyler as kindhearted, introspective, devoted (family, girlfriend, dog, mentor), poetic about nature/love/science, and optimistic. He soldiered on, knowing that he had done something very stupid, not blaming it on anyone besides himself, doing the best he could with his genius while living in fear and anxiety. His moral strength, courage and innate need to do what is right sustained him through years of pain as he did all he could to protect his girlfriend and family.

The other story is the courageous, honest perspectives of his mother, Patrice Johnson, the author, and his sister, Kelsey, who wrote the beautiful introduction. They make no effort to rid Tyler of blame for his error. Their object is to portray Tyler in large: his genius, dedication, sensitivity, honesty, moral courage. This ultimate faith and love in the face of great loss is quite possibly more tragic than Tyler’s story. His girlfriend Yuki is an important figure from the point of view that the love between her and Tyler illuminates the youthful idealism they shared.

It is a new American Tragedy with no villain this time.

[Cinthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly loved this book it was honest and had me hooked. As I read I just felt like I was watching everything unfold. It was beautifully written.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written, heart-breaking and thought provoking story!

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was compelled to read this book as the author is locally renowned. This is such a tragic tale of a young man’s harrowing life as a fugitive in a foreign land. I grieve for his family as I simply cannot imagine their loss. It exhausted me to hike the trails and streets along with him as I turned each page. To imagine how he had to struggle to merely survive provided inspiration at his determination and grit. His mother is a talented writer. I hope writing this brought some kind of ease to her grief. We all have regrets in life. I’m sad that Tyler’s brought him to such an early end to a remarkable life.

[R Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know Kelsey, Tyler’s sister. She gave me the book to read. I think the the book was very well put together, especially if you consider that it was put together from memoirs (or a journal). It sure took me on a journey that I will not forget.

A small part of me see Tyler as being similar to Christopher McCandless (from Into The Wild). However, this book also is frustrating. Frustrating in the sense of wasted potential. It raises a good conundrum… being smart is not too advantageous if it does not help you avoid making bad choices. Being book-smart only gets you so far.

I have much more to say, but I might have to get to that later.

[Bill Schlott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Such a tragic ending to such a promising young life. Thanks for sharing the message of hope

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this book. It’s the story of a college student who, with a friend, causes millions of dollars worth of damage to car dealerships. Their goal was to raise awareness of the inefficient nature of gas guzzlers. Humm, it was going to be about the metric system, and putting bumper stickers on cars but when the stickers were misprinted the drunk guys decided to spray paint expensive cars and throw Molotov Cocktails at the cars and a dealership building. Branded a terrorist, Tyler flees the country with his girlfriend Yuki. The other kid who is said to be the Einstein of our age stays and is sentenced to 6 years. But Tyler heads to Coreia France where he journals his exile. They begin by living as campers, where you aren’t allowed to camp. They befriend a dog that they cannot afford to feed or care for. Most of the book involves a self absorbed brat doing his math (and whatever else he wants). He does eventually find work, often loses his jobs and somehow manages to find some very helpful people that try to help him find asylum in Venezuela. While he is smart, I find his awareness of his wisdom egotistical. He doesn’t seem to be aware of relationships and the discomfort or needs of others. Both his dogs and his girlfriend seem to be there to give him comfort and he doesn’t seem to be conscious of their needs. A turning point for me is after what must have been torture for Yuki, battling starvation, cold, heat, his obsession with math and video games, he called her high maintenance. She gave up her life to be with him, and he essentially provided her with almost nothing! His choices often seemed to be to make things more difficult and uncomfortable. I know this was written from the Mother’s interpretation of her son’s journals and in some cases actual quotes from his journals, but even with that obvious bias, he’s seems a selfish brat. It was mildly interesting but I was anxious to be done with it.