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Crown Heights
The true story behind the major motion picture from Amazon Studios.
Childhood friends from Trinidad, Colin Warner and Carl King grew into men on opposite sides of prison bars after Colin was arrested for murder in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. With no evidence against him, Colin was wrongfully convicted and wrongfully imprisoned for more than two decades. But time and walls could not break the friends’ bond. Carl’s extraordinary resolve, sacrifice, and courage were Colin’s last rays of hope in a harrowing struggle for freedom and justice. Whatever it took, Carl was not going to leave his best friend behind.
Childhood friends from Trinidad, Colin Warner and Carl King grew into men on opposite sides of prison bars after Colin was arrested for murder in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. With no evidence against him, Colin was wrongfully convicted and wrongfully imprisoned for more than two decades. But time and walls could not break the friends’ bond. Carl’s extraordinary resolve, sacrifice, and courage were Colin’s last rays of hope in a harrowing struggle for freedom and justice. Whatever it took, Carl was not going to leave his best friend behind.
118 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 28, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
December 31, 2017
Must read.
Well written true story of innocent eighteen years old boy. Came from Jamaica just two years ago, getting used to living in America, believing that police and courts will prove innocence. He was Rastafarian, his friend since elementary school, fought for him outside for.
Well written true story of innocent eighteen years old boy. Came from Jamaica just two years ago, getting used to living in America, believing that police and courts will prove innocence. He was Rastafarian, his friend since elementary school, fought for him outside for.
December 4, 2017
4 stars
This was a compact little story about the lives of two men - from their venture to the United States from Trinidad while in their teens, to finally standing side by side as grown men. The interruption in their lives, detailed in this story, was when Colin was wrongly accused of a murder. He was not only accused, but unjustly convicted.
This was a crime witnessed by a large number of people and police received a confession from the murderer stating that Colin was not involved. But Colin still served 21 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. A much longer sentence than the actual murderer served.
Carl, his friend, spent thousands of dollars trying to seek appeals for Colin. He lost his wife and daughter due to the time he spent trying to vindicate his friend. Trying to learn the legal system to help his friend appeared to be fruitless, until he met the right attorney.
This is a true story, written by the two friends, Colin Warner and Carl King. It is soon to be a series on Amazon.
This was a compact little story about the lives of two men - from their venture to the United States from Trinidad while in their teens, to finally standing side by side as grown men. The interruption in their lives, detailed in this story, was when Colin was wrongly accused of a murder. He was not only accused, but unjustly convicted.
This was a crime witnessed by a large number of people and police received a confession from the murderer stating that Colin was not involved. But Colin still served 21 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. A much longer sentence than the actual murderer served.
Carl, his friend, spent thousands of dollars trying to seek appeals for Colin. He lost his wife and daughter due to the time he spent trying to vindicate his friend. Trying to learn the legal system to help his friend appeared to be fruitless, until he met the right attorney.
This is a true story, written by the two friends, Colin Warner and Carl King. It is soon to be a series on Amazon.
February 8, 2018
I had never heard of this book or the story behind it. I was browsing Audible last night and saw this book. What piqued my interest was that one of the narrators is Lakeith Stanfield who I love, love, love! Then I saw it was only 2 hours and 28 minutes AND it was only $0.99 ... Sold!
Colin Warner was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit in a disgusting miscarriage of justice. But his best friend, Carl King, worked tirelessly for years to prove Colin's innocence, sacrificing his family and spending thousands of dollars of his own money in the process. Everybody needs a friend like Carl. This was a heart wrenching story but also a heartwarming story of friendship.
Colin Warner was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit in a disgusting miscarriage of justice. But his best friend, Carl King, worked tirelessly for years to prove Colin's innocence, sacrificing his family and spending thousands of dollars of his own money in the process. Everybody needs a friend like Carl. This was a heart wrenching story but also a heartwarming story of friendship.
April 22, 2018
Amazon Prime allows its’ members to surrey down to ‘Prime Reading.’ Any book you choose in this category is free to read. Some of these stories, I have since learned, are now coined as “singles” by their online marketing team.
So, I tried it out.
The result was this very short but true story (1-2 hours to read) of two young black boys from the lovely island of Trinidad. They grew up together as best friends and then lost sight of each other for a few years. The parents of both the young men, when they were about eighteen, decided to upgrade their lives and move to Brooklyn, unbeknownst to each other.
When they met up again in Crown Heights, they rekindled their bond and looked forward to their futures. They were in the States, they were young and intelligent and strong, and they had most of their futures still ahead of them. Sometimes life is grand.
And sometimes it is not. One of the friends is soon thrown in jail for a murder he did not commit.
The other man no longer has his friend by his side.
We learn about due process or the absence of it. We learn what is most important to magistrates and lawyers if we have not yet had the pleasure of their company.
And we learn about the importance and rarity of true friendship.
It is free. It is a true memoir. It takes a couple of hours to read.
Under these conditions, I recommend it.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news...
So, I tried it out.
The result was this very short but true story (1-2 hours to read) of two young black boys from the lovely island of Trinidad. They grew up together as best friends and then lost sight of each other for a few years. The parents of both the young men, when they were about eighteen, decided to upgrade their lives and move to Brooklyn, unbeknownst to each other.
When they met up again in Crown Heights, they rekindled their bond and looked forward to their futures. They were in the States, they were young and intelligent and strong, and they had most of their futures still ahead of them. Sometimes life is grand.
And sometimes it is not. One of the friends is soon thrown in jail for a murder he did not commit.
The other man no longer has his friend by his side.
We learn about due process or the absence of it. We learn what is most important to magistrates and lawyers if we have not yet had the pleasure of their company.
And we learn about the importance and rarity of true friendship.
It is free. It is a true memoir. It takes a couple of hours to read.
Under these conditions, I recommend it.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news...
December 25, 2017
The US is 63.7% non-Hispanic white, 12.2% black, 8.7% Hispanic white and 0.4% Hispanic black, according to the most recent census. Analysis of race within state prisons and comparing those findings to the US census, it has been found that black Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at an average rate of 5.1 times that of white Americans. In some states that rate is 10 times or more. It is believed that some 120000 prisoners in the system are actually innocent of the crime for which they are convicted. Since African-Americans are disproportionate in number in the prison system, it is a logical consequence that more of them are likely among the innocent ones. This book is about Colin Warner, one such unfortunate soul, who is forced to spend 20 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. It is the story of his incarceration and how his friend Carl King (CK) carries on an unrelenting battle to prove his innocence and how he gets him eventually acquitted. The book is authored by both Warner and King, telling their story in alternate chapters in first person.
Colin Warner, a teenager of Trinidadian descent, lives with his mother in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and does occasional car theft and petty burglary. On April 10, 1980, a murder is committed in Flatbush, a neighbourhood of Crown Heights. To his utter disbelief, Colin is arrested by police on suspicion of the murder, ostensibly on the eye-witness testimony of Thomas Charlemagne, another teenager. Colin protests that he has never heard of the murdered man in his life and that he has nothing to do with it. But the police just asks him to be ‘cooperative’ as otherwise he is looking at a long life behind bars. In their haste to ‘solve’ the case, they coerce witnesses and cook up a case and succeed in sending Colin to a minimum of 15 years in prison and a possible life sentence. The judge himself was sympathetic to Colin as he probably believed in Colin’s innocence, but the jury was prejudiced against him. Once in prison, Colin finds out from a fellow prisoner as to who the actual murderer was. But his efforts at establishing his innocence fall on deaf years with the police and the prison system. Finally, it is left to his fellow-Trinidadian childhood friend Carl King (CK) to fight a decade-long battle to bring out the truth. CK goes from one government dept to another in search of justice. He tries to get lawyers to fight for Colin, at great personal cost to his own finances and also to his married life. At long last, he educates himself about the case, the law and then goes around his neighbourhood, collecting money for Colin’s defence. He meets with William Robedee, an attorney who also strongly believes in Colin’s innocence. They manage to eventually get Colin acquitted after 21 long years.
The whole saga of Colin’s ordeal is heart-wrenching at multiple levels. The obvious one is the grave injustice done to an innocent black American, destroying his youth entirely behind the prison walls by racism inherent in the system. There is the miscarriage of justice in the jury system and the callousness of the police towards Colin Warner even as he refuses to admit his purported guilt for twenty long years. Depressing as this scenario is, we can also see the book as a tale of the love and affection of Colin’s friends and family and their steadfast belief in his innocence. The extraordinary lengths to which his friend CK goes to get him acquitted is testament to that. Looking at it in yet another way, we can even take race and color out of the equation and say that it is an example of how the state is stony-hearted in the way it deals with poor people's lives. After all, Colin, CK and their friends and family belong in the lower rungs of the economic ladder in society. The way the police and the jury act suggests that people like Colin and his buddies are just statistics to the system. They are not particularly against Colin as an individual. In their rush to ‘solve’ the case and mark up their record, they just needed to throw ‘someone like Colin’ into the prison for that particular murder. In the 1980s, crime was said to be high in American cities, particularly in NY, New Orleans and other places. However, by the 1990s, it has been well documented that crime had come down substantially in all American cities, especially in New York. But the police and the state still act as though we are in the heydays of anti-Vietnam war protests. Terrorism has become the new excuse now for aggressive policing. The result is that unarmed poor are still randomly shot by the police and justice in the courts are still elusive and prohibitive for them.
The book is a sincere, straightforward narration without any frills. A couple of paragraphs stood out for me. In chapter 19, CK writes: “...While President Reagan demanded that Russian leaders tear down walls and let innocent German citizens live free, back in the United States, his administration incarcerated more and more people for petty crimes…”. In the Epilogue, the authors write: “...For the loss of twenty-one productive, youthful years, Colin received nothing. No one was punished, no one lost their job, no one received so much as a slap on the hand.”
The book has been made into a film in 2017. I saw the film first which made me want to read the book afterwards. I found the film quite compelling in the way it makes you live Colin Warner’s ordeal. There are interludes in the film at appropriate moments where politicians like Bill Clinton and George Pataki demand ‘no parole’, ‘longer prison sentences’ and ‘more executions’ for criminals. Given the context, it brings out in a striking manner how remote the politicians are from real-life problems of the poor. Though the book is published in 2017 covering events which happened two to four decades before, we cannot escape the realization that the issues of the 1980s are still well and alive in the United States without resolution. In that sense, time stands still in the Crown Heights suburbs of Brooklyn.
Though I have given the book a five-star rating, it is more for the film and the book together and the impact they made on me. If you want to look at only one of them, I would suggest you see the film rather than read the book.
Colin Warner, a teenager of Trinidadian descent, lives with his mother in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and does occasional car theft and petty burglary. On April 10, 1980, a murder is committed in Flatbush, a neighbourhood of Crown Heights. To his utter disbelief, Colin is arrested by police on suspicion of the murder, ostensibly on the eye-witness testimony of Thomas Charlemagne, another teenager. Colin protests that he has never heard of the murdered man in his life and that he has nothing to do with it. But the police just asks him to be ‘cooperative’ as otherwise he is looking at a long life behind bars. In their haste to ‘solve’ the case, they coerce witnesses and cook up a case and succeed in sending Colin to a minimum of 15 years in prison and a possible life sentence. The judge himself was sympathetic to Colin as he probably believed in Colin’s innocence, but the jury was prejudiced against him. Once in prison, Colin finds out from a fellow prisoner as to who the actual murderer was. But his efforts at establishing his innocence fall on deaf years with the police and the prison system. Finally, it is left to his fellow-Trinidadian childhood friend Carl King (CK) to fight a decade-long battle to bring out the truth. CK goes from one government dept to another in search of justice. He tries to get lawyers to fight for Colin, at great personal cost to his own finances and also to his married life. At long last, he educates himself about the case, the law and then goes around his neighbourhood, collecting money for Colin’s defence. He meets with William Robedee, an attorney who also strongly believes in Colin’s innocence. They manage to eventually get Colin acquitted after 21 long years.
The whole saga of Colin’s ordeal is heart-wrenching at multiple levels. The obvious one is the grave injustice done to an innocent black American, destroying his youth entirely behind the prison walls by racism inherent in the system. There is the miscarriage of justice in the jury system and the callousness of the police towards Colin Warner even as he refuses to admit his purported guilt for twenty long years. Depressing as this scenario is, we can also see the book as a tale of the love and affection of Colin’s friends and family and their steadfast belief in his innocence. The extraordinary lengths to which his friend CK goes to get him acquitted is testament to that. Looking at it in yet another way, we can even take race and color out of the equation and say that it is an example of how the state is stony-hearted in the way it deals with poor people's lives. After all, Colin, CK and their friends and family belong in the lower rungs of the economic ladder in society. The way the police and the jury act suggests that people like Colin and his buddies are just statistics to the system. They are not particularly against Colin as an individual. In their rush to ‘solve’ the case and mark up their record, they just needed to throw ‘someone like Colin’ into the prison for that particular murder. In the 1980s, crime was said to be high in American cities, particularly in NY, New Orleans and other places. However, by the 1990s, it has been well documented that crime had come down substantially in all American cities, especially in New York. But the police and the state still act as though we are in the heydays of anti-Vietnam war protests. Terrorism has become the new excuse now for aggressive policing. The result is that unarmed poor are still randomly shot by the police and justice in the courts are still elusive and prohibitive for them.
The book is a sincere, straightforward narration without any frills. A couple of paragraphs stood out for me. In chapter 19, CK writes: “...While President Reagan demanded that Russian leaders tear down walls and let innocent German citizens live free, back in the United States, his administration incarcerated more and more people for petty crimes…”. In the Epilogue, the authors write: “...For the loss of twenty-one productive, youthful years, Colin received nothing. No one was punished, no one lost their job, no one received so much as a slap on the hand.”
The book has been made into a film in 2017. I saw the film first which made me want to read the book afterwards. I found the film quite compelling in the way it makes you live Colin Warner’s ordeal. There are interludes in the film at appropriate moments where politicians like Bill Clinton and George Pataki demand ‘no parole’, ‘longer prison sentences’ and ‘more executions’ for criminals. Given the context, it brings out in a striking manner how remote the politicians are from real-life problems of the poor. Though the book is published in 2017 covering events which happened two to four decades before, we cannot escape the realization that the issues of the 1980s are still well and alive in the United States without resolution. In that sense, time stands still in the Crown Heights suburbs of Brooklyn.
Though I have given the book a five-star rating, it is more for the film and the book together and the impact they made on me. If you want to look at only one of them, I would suggest you see the film rather than read the book.
February 7, 2018
Wow! if each of us has at least 1 friend like Carl in our lives, we are truly blessed! This true friendship that crosses over into family status! The injustice that befell Colin was past the point of ridiculous, but the love of that one true friend that just wouldn't give up, truly made a difference.
And to think, through all the injustice, Colin nor Carl are bitter, but better because of it! Wow!!!
And to think, through all the injustice, Colin nor Carl are bitter, but better because of it! Wow!!!
June 16, 2018
GA Crown Heights is a true story told by the victim of a judicial injustice and his childhood friend Carl King, who invested 21 years and a lot of heart in finding the path to freedom for Colin. This is an interesting and quick read, and a story to take to heart, whether you are on the side of the prosecution or the defense of the situation. It is so easy to let the groundswell of public opinion carry one past the point of recovery. We can but hope there are many Carl Kings out there, many Colin Warners willing to let his sacrifice offer hope to those unjustly prosecuted, and adding his weight to that of his friend Carl in finding freedom where due.
Not available at B&N
Not available at B&N
November 9, 2018
Literally read this book in one sitting. Great story about an innocent kid who went to jail for a crime he never committed. The police officer is the one who belongs in jail for what he did here. Justice was finally served.
December 27, 2017
The writing was choppy and the story was rushed (I know it was just a movie, but I still would've liked to see things expanded and fleshed out); however, I think this is a great way to introduce someone to instituional racism, so I'll keep this in mind for recommendations.
January 14, 2023
I am from Brooklyn and all of the side memories mixed into the main memory took me all the way back. A story well read and told.
January 4, 2018
This was a disturbing story of a tragedy caused by an unjust and embattled justice system in this country. The events depicted here made me wish I could take some action but alas I would not know where to begin. I have not viewed the film yet but I hope it sticks to the true events. I say this short and page turning book should be read by all.
August 1, 2023
Great read!
This is a.tragic story about a man who was falsely accused of murder. Its a fast read and very informative about the justice system.
This is a.tragic story about a man who was falsely accused of murder. Its a fast read and very informative about the justice system.
December 7, 2017
Not a Fan
I'll be honest and say that I only read 2 chapters, but that was all I could take. As an African-American man, I was excited about reading this book, but I found that it was a boring read and a lot of pointing fingers so I couldn't really get into it. I wouldn't recommend it, but to each their own.
I'll be honest and say that I only read 2 chapters, but that was all I could take. As an African-American man, I was excited about reading this book, but I found that it was a boring read and a lot of pointing fingers so I couldn't really get into it. I wouldn't recommend it, but to each their own.
September 20, 2021
True crime and the harsh reality of being framed.
January 8, 2018
Grim and Gripping!
This is a compelling story of a travesty of justice, not in the third world, but in the "good old boy police state" of the United States of America! From the incompetency of the police detectives, the rush to judgement of the district attorney's office, the shameful lack of defense by the "public pretenders" who work for the DA's office (not for the accused), the woeful lack of evidence, the lying witnesses, the vindictiveness of the juries, and the lily livered judge who had doubts but passed the buck anyway, to the cruelty of the prison guards, the inhumane treatment that convicted prisoners are subjected to, and the petty posturing of the parole boards, this book is a testament to the injustice of our so-called "criminal justice" system. If it weren't for Carl King's unflagging 20-some year quest to free his friend, Colin Warner would still be behind bars despite being totally innocent of all charges against him. Anyone who believes this is "the land of the free" and only guilty people go to prison, needs to read this book. This innocent man was robbed of his youth, his freedom, his family, his dreams, his health, his sense of safety and security, and his "tormentors" were found not guilty because, like Hitler's Nazi henchmen, they were "just doing their jobs." This is not the America I was taught to believe in. We have far too many people in jail in this country. Law and Order political platforms, criminalization of minor offenses, "jails for profit," and "debtors prisons" will not "make America great again," and it's not the answer to our employment problems either! As law abiding citizens we must stand up for justice regardless of the defendant's age, race, religion, ethnicity, or economic status. Justice is supposed to be blind to those factors, but it's not supposed to be deaf, dumb, ignorant, or cruel to our fellow human beings. This is a quick read, but not a subject that can be forgotten easily. This book will haunt me for a long time. How many more innocent people are languishing behind bars who do not have a Carl King to fight for them? I look forward to seeing the movie.
This is a compelling story of a travesty of justice, not in the third world, but in the "good old boy police state" of the United States of America! From the incompetency of the police detectives, the rush to judgement of the district attorney's office, the shameful lack of defense by the "public pretenders" who work for the DA's office (not for the accused), the woeful lack of evidence, the lying witnesses, the vindictiveness of the juries, and the lily livered judge who had doubts but passed the buck anyway, to the cruelty of the prison guards, the inhumane treatment that convicted prisoners are subjected to, and the petty posturing of the parole boards, this book is a testament to the injustice of our so-called "criminal justice" system. If it weren't for Carl King's unflagging 20-some year quest to free his friend, Colin Warner would still be behind bars despite being totally innocent of all charges against him. Anyone who believes this is "the land of the free" and only guilty people go to prison, needs to read this book. This innocent man was robbed of his youth, his freedom, his family, his dreams, his health, his sense of safety and security, and his "tormentors" were found not guilty because, like Hitler's Nazi henchmen, they were "just doing their jobs." This is not the America I was taught to believe in. We have far too many people in jail in this country. Law and Order political platforms, criminalization of minor offenses, "jails for profit," and "debtors prisons" will not "make America great again," and it's not the answer to our employment problems either! As law abiding citizens we must stand up for justice regardless of the defendant's age, race, religion, ethnicity, or economic status. Justice is supposed to be blind to those factors, but it's not supposed to be deaf, dumb, ignorant, or cruel to our fellow human beings. This is a quick read, but not a subject that can be forgotten easily. This book will haunt me for a long time. How many more innocent people are languishing behind bars who do not have a Carl King to fight for them? I look forward to seeing the movie.
December 19, 2017
Injustice. I don't think there is any other word that can raise my hackles unless you add "Racial" before it and make it more of a phrase.
"In 1980, there were 300,000 state prison inmates. In 1990, there were almost 700,000. Federal prisons held just under 200,000 people in 1980, and that number jumped to 400,00 in 1990, according to the department of justice."
While this is just one important story, the injustice of Colin Warner, it is far from the only one and the horribleness continues to this day. And his story happened even before NYC's controversial "Stop and Frisk" program started in 2003 and reached its height in 2011 with 685,724 stops. Actually, Warner's case has nothing even to do with the stupid racially motivated program, but is a great example of how the deck is stacked against African American and Latino youths in NYC.
Warner was convicted of murder because of one lying witness that kept changing his story and zero evidence, 15 years to life and he wasn't even in the neighborhood where the murder happened, nor did the evidence line up with the supposed witnesses' statement.
It took a childhood friend on the outside that never gave up to get that wrong set straight. His steadfastness to the cause was really amazing, it became his life.
Both Carl and Colin went through many transformations to get to the end of the horror story and even though this is a Kindle Single, I felt for them all. It was beautifully and concisely written and I sure as heck know that I don't have a friend that would keep at it for over twenty years to help me. I hope you do.
"In 1980, there were 300,000 state prison inmates. In 1990, there were almost 700,000. Federal prisons held just under 200,000 people in 1980, and that number jumped to 400,00 in 1990, according to the department of justice."
While this is just one important story, the injustice of Colin Warner, it is far from the only one and the horribleness continues to this day. And his story happened even before NYC's controversial "Stop and Frisk" program started in 2003 and reached its height in 2011 with 685,724 stops. Actually, Warner's case has nothing even to do with the stupid racially motivated program, but is a great example of how the deck is stacked against African American and Latino youths in NYC.
Warner was convicted of murder because of one lying witness that kept changing his story and zero evidence, 15 years to life and he wasn't even in the neighborhood where the murder happened, nor did the evidence line up with the supposed witnesses' statement.
It took a childhood friend on the outside that never gave up to get that wrong set straight. His steadfastness to the cause was really amazing, it became his life.
Both Carl and Colin went through many transformations to get to the end of the horror story and even though this is a Kindle Single, I felt for them all. It was beautifully and concisely written and I sure as heck know that I don't have a friend that would keep at it for over twenty years to help me. I hope you do.
January 16, 2018
Crown Heights reveals a place no one wishes to live - prison for an innocent man. Colin is a young Rasta immigrant living in Brooklyn. Language barriers, trust in the "system" and lack of resources combine where Colin and family and friends cannot beat the system. Charged with murder based on a youthful supposed eyewitness, Colin journeys through our justice machine. Sentenced to 15 years to life he refuses to give in to the horrors of prison.
Meanwhile on the outside, Colin's best friend, Carl, spends years and his own limited money pursuing justice for Colin. Colin and Carl were just eighteen when this nightmare began so Carl's devotion to his friend is remarkable.
After twenty-one years in prison, Colin's conviction is overturned and he is released. Amazingly, he bears no ill-will toward individuals but now works, along with Carl, to help other innocent men behind bars.
This nonfiction work is very brief; there were some parts of Colin's story that could have been expanded for more clarity and to illuminate Colin's emotional fortitude.
Meanwhile on the outside, Colin's best friend, Carl, spends years and his own limited money pursuing justice for Colin. Colin and Carl were just eighteen when this nightmare began so Carl's devotion to his friend is remarkable.
After twenty-one years in prison, Colin's conviction is overturned and he is released. Amazingly, he bears no ill-will toward individuals but now works, along with Carl, to help other innocent men behind bars.
This nonfiction work is very brief; there were some parts of Colin's story that could have been expanded for more clarity and to illuminate Colin's emotional fortitude.
September 3, 2019
A true story of unconditional friendship and the unbelievable fight to overturn a horrible injustice.
Very few people are blessed with an unconditional love of a friend, especially like Carl felt for Collin. Both of these men lost 20 years of a "normal " life . One spent 20 years in prison for a crime he was innocent of the other spent 20 years of his life trying to get the injustice overturned. Both men lost many precious years of their your life's because of one lie .This lie was equivalent to a pendulum in a wind chime with unbelievable consequences .If not for the Faith and Friendship of one man for another the injustice would not had been corrected . This story was so compelling that I read it in one day. I was over come with emotion that neither men emerged bitter and continue to be the voice for others who have fallen on deaf ears within our justice system. I promise you will not be disappointed by " Crown Heights".
Very few people are blessed with an unconditional love of a friend, especially like Carl felt for Collin. Both of these men lost 20 years of a "normal " life . One spent 20 years in prison for a crime he was innocent of the other spent 20 years of his life trying to get the injustice overturned. Both men lost many precious years of their your life's because of one lie .This lie was equivalent to a pendulum in a wind chime with unbelievable consequences .If not for the Faith and Friendship of one man for another the injustice would not had been corrected . This story was so compelling that I read it in one day. I was over come with emotion that neither men emerged bitter and continue to be the voice for others who have fallen on deaf ears within our justice system. I promise you will not be disappointed by " Crown Heights".
March 4, 2025
This is fine, especially for a free memoir. It admits to being just one example of a larger problem and works to bring context to events. The fractured POV can feel choppy or meandering at points but streamlines a lot of internal thoughts, repeated actions, and extended periods of waiting.
Summary: Colin Warner was wrongfully imprisoned and convicted for a Crown Heights murder in Brooklyn. 21 years spent in prison, starting as a juvenile, dramatically warped Colin’s life until he embraced his Rastafarian heritage, found love, and focused on helping others. Meanwhile his childhood friend—another immigrant from Trinidad—Carl King worked tirelessly to point out the lack of evidence, inconsistent witness testimony, understaffed judiciary, and process technicalities. Eventually making a connection to attorney William Robedee, Carl was able to bring enough attention and legal backing to vacate the charges.
Summary: Colin Warner was wrongfully imprisoned and convicted for a Crown Heights murder in Brooklyn. 21 years spent in prison, starting as a juvenile, dramatically warped Colin’s life until he embraced his Rastafarian heritage, found love, and focused on helping others. Meanwhile his childhood friend—another immigrant from Trinidad—Carl King worked tirelessly to point out the lack of evidence, inconsistent witness testimony, understaffed judiciary, and process technicalities. Eventually making a connection to attorney William Robedee, Carl was able to bring enough attention and legal backing to vacate the charges.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2018
Boring. I’m not sure what the hype is all about here. The guy is wrongfully convicted and his friend works to free him. I liked the overall message, and it was a quick read but I wasn’t feeling this one.
I also found it odd that in between chapters they’d throw in random news clips that had nothing to do with his case or story about how some random white person had beat or killed a black person. One news article snippet they included was about four black men who attempted to mug a white man on the subway. The white man defended himself and and killed all four of his attackers, yet he was only charged with illegal possession of a firearm. Umm...okay? I think the author tried to convey what the racial divide was like at the time, but they come across as “look at all this bad stuff that white people are getting away with while blacks are being thrown in jail!”
I also found it odd that in between chapters they’d throw in random news clips that had nothing to do with his case or story about how some random white person had beat or killed a black person. One news article snippet they included was about four black men who attempted to mug a white man on the subway. The white man defended himself and and killed all four of his attackers, yet he was only charged with illegal possession of a firearm. Umm...okay? I think the author tried to convey what the racial divide was like at the time, but they come across as “look at all this bad stuff that white people are getting away with while blacks are being thrown in jail!”
January 24, 2018
I was looking for something from my kindle unlimited subscription and ran across this and it looked interesting. This is a fast read. It's hard to think of an innocent man spending 21 years behind bars. I am humbled by the man Collin is and how he was able to not let that destroy him. I am in awe of his friend Carl who never gave up and sacrificed so much. I think this is a powerful and worthwhile read that has some great messages and life lessons.
NOTE: This is not graphic which someone may worry about considering topic and prison being the setting for a lot of the book. Someone may also worry about language for the same reasons, but there were only 2-3 instances of language in this book. The movie that was based on this book is rated R, but I would definitely not give the book that rating.
NOTE: This is not graphic which someone may worry about considering topic and prison being the setting for a lot of the book. Someone may also worry about language for the same reasons, but there were only 2-3 instances of language in this book. The movie that was based on this book is rated R, but I would definitely not give the book that rating.
October 29, 2018
Hopeful Book
The story of Collin’s arrest is in every newspaper we read and newsroom reports we watch daily and really don’t often pay much attention as to where the story goes after its one moment in the light. Crown Heights provides hope that what happened in the end to Collin with Carl’s help will happen repeatedly over and over again. But clearly we know this is not so at the present time. There are other books like this (most recent in my reading is Just Mercy) that point out with great emphasis how much it takes from someone working outside the system to reverse the wrongs done by the system...and how very long it takes to do so. But then there are also the stories of those who never ever receive justice.
The story of Collin’s arrest is in every newspaper we read and newsroom reports we watch daily and really don’t often pay much attention as to where the story goes after its one moment in the light. Crown Heights provides hope that what happened in the end to Collin with Carl’s help will happen repeatedly over and over again. But clearly we know this is not so at the present time. There are other books like this (most recent in my reading is Just Mercy) that point out with great emphasis how much it takes from someone working outside the system to reverse the wrongs done by the system...and how very long it takes to do so. But then there are also the stories of those who never ever receive justice.
September 2, 2022
A true story that is short, simple, and to the point while also drawing the reader in emotionally and pointing out major, life destroying flaws in the American legal system.
Both the narrative of the unjustly incarcerated Colin and his friend Carl are compelling, which I hadn't expected (sometimes non fiction books about the legal system can get bogged down by legalese, etc). Carl's story isn't just about lawyers and documents - rather it's about his perseverance and loyalty even when both cost him financially and in his other relationships (the book ends with him separated from his wife).
A quick and powerful read. I haven't watched the movie yet or listened to the podcast, so I'm not sure how the book compares.
Both the narrative of the unjustly incarcerated Colin and his friend Carl are compelling, which I hadn't expected (sometimes non fiction books about the legal system can get bogged down by legalese, etc). Carl's story isn't just about lawyers and documents - rather it's about his perseverance and loyalty even when both cost him financially and in his other relationships (the book ends with him separated from his wife).
A quick and powerful read. I haven't watched the movie yet or listened to the podcast, so I'm not sure how the book compares.
September 14, 2025
A really important story
Important, not just because it's another example of someone who lost over half their life to wrongful conviction due to legal apathy and incompetence (a minority member, unfortunately no surprise). It also explains the effect of imprisonment and solitary confinement on not just criminals, but anyone. The change in personality and mind upon a normal young person with normal, non-criminal interests, hopes and dreams. And last but not least, the power of a loyal friend who refused to stop trying and looking for ways to get justice for his friend. We need to imprison *fewer* people, not more, for *less* time who are convicted of low level offenses. Just outcomes matter.
Important, not just because it's another example of someone who lost over half their life to wrongful conviction due to legal apathy and incompetence (a minority member, unfortunately no surprise). It also explains the effect of imprisonment and solitary confinement on not just criminals, but anyone. The change in personality and mind upon a normal young person with normal, non-criminal interests, hopes and dreams. And last but not least, the power of a loyal friend who refused to stop trying and looking for ways to get justice for his friend. We need to imprison *fewer* people, not more, for *less* time who are convicted of low level offenses. Just outcomes matter.
December 10, 2017
An excellent true (non)crime narrative of justice denied, friendship triumphant, and a life saved. Twenty-one years of prison for a murder never committed, this story of two young Trinidadians is told briefly (slightly over two hours in the audio version), but compellingly in alternating chapters by Colin and Carl whose lives became entwined on their elementary school playground on the island, rekindled in high school in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, and endure through the horrors of one man's imprisonment and the other's heroic efforts to clear his friend's name. Can't wait to see how the Amazon movie tells the story.
December 28, 2017
It's hard sometimes to not be depressed when reading stories like this. There is a happy ending, but that is bittersweet, as this man was locked away for 2 decades and if it wasn't for the sacrifices of his friend he never would have been released.
To many people it does seem like it is worth it to them to lock up a few innocent people if it means getting criminals as well, but I can't imagine ever being able to look somebody like Colin in the eye and telling them that.
I enjoyed the conversational way that this book was written from both of the author's perspectives, giving a full full of the events from the inside and outside, it really gives you the emotion of the events as they unfolded.
To many people it does seem like it is worth it to them to lock up a few innocent people if it means getting criminals as well, but I can't imagine ever being able to look somebody like Colin in the eye and telling them that.
I enjoyed the conversational way that this book was written from both of the author's perspectives, giving a full full of the events from the inside and outside, it really gives you the emotion of the events as they unfolded.
January 4, 2018
A true story of friendship!
I was brought to this story by way of a movie on Amazon also titled "Crown Heights". It is the true story of a young man wrongfully accused, convicted and imprisoned for 21 years for a murder he didn't commit. And his friend's unrelenting quest for justice for Colin. The movie was excellent and so was the book. It was heartbreaking, heartwarming, sad, happy & triumphant. But it was also unfortunate because things like this still happen more often than not. Carl was the best & most loyal friend to Colin. Everybody deserves a friend like Carl. This is a GREAT book. I'm even more interested in his story.
I was brought to this story by way of a movie on Amazon also titled "Crown Heights". It is the true story of a young man wrongfully accused, convicted and imprisoned for 21 years for a murder he didn't commit. And his friend's unrelenting quest for justice for Colin. The movie was excellent and so was the book. It was heartbreaking, heartwarming, sad, happy & triumphant. But it was also unfortunate because things like this still happen more often than not. Carl was the best & most loyal friend to Colin. Everybody deserves a friend like Carl. This is a GREAT book. I'm even more interested in his story.
January 8, 2018
A sad real life tragic story
Amazing how someone can get swept up in circumstances and land in prison for 21 years and not be guilty of anything.
Told with honesty and without vengeance. Still disturbs me that our justice system fails so many. I am glad I read this story and I learn so much. I was so pleased to see that Colin didn't turn into the monster he was accused to be but it was a fine line. He truly was blessed to have a friend who advocated for him for so long and justice was still found. Can't give him the years spent in prison falsely; however, glad he was able to do well following his release and share this story.
Amazing how someone can get swept up in circumstances and land in prison for 21 years and not be guilty of anything.
Told with honesty and without vengeance. Still disturbs me that our justice system fails so many. I am glad I read this story and I learn so much. I was so pleased to see that Colin didn't turn into the monster he was accused to be but it was a fine line. He truly was blessed to have a friend who advocated for him for so long and justice was still found. Can't give him the years spent in prison falsely; however, glad he was able to do well following his release and share this story.
September 19, 2021
This is a book every American should read. What goes on in the justice system is deplorable for some who become so entangled into that system that it seems like a life time of systematic stereotyping. That is what happened to this young man. He was lost to the prison system for years, an innocent man, who only got out when his best friend went to work and disproved his conviction thru the work of people who changed their minds about the original testimony. This is a griping account of what it is like to be a prisoner in an American prison. This is also a the story about redemption and forgiveness. I really enjoyed this Kindle single.
February 19, 2018
A short but powerful read about a man who was wrongfully convicted. While this story takes place in the early 80s through his twenty-one year incarceration, it shows how much is wrong with our criminal justice system and how desperately criminal justice reform is needed. The story goes back and forth between the wrongfully convicted man and his best friend who fought hard and gave up a lot in his own life just to clear his friend’s name. The writing is a bit choppy at times, but it is their real-life account of a terrible injustice. Highly recommend this read.
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