FROM THE PUBLISHER

The author's account of his life in San Quentin State Prison in California where he has lived in a small cell on death row for sixteen years because of a murder conviction.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

As a boy, Williams heard the older kids who'd served time tell stories that made prison sound glamorous and fun, a place to hang out with your friends and prove how tough you were. But now, after 16 years on San Quentin's death row for the murders of four people, Williams (Gangs and Violence), co-founder of the notorious Los Angeles Crips gang, knows that prison "is no place you'd ever want to be." In this slender volume, he explains why: the cramped quarters, lack of freedom and privacy, homesickness, violence and daily indignities (strip searches, having to use the toilet in public). Williams often goes beyond mere description, asking readers to imagine or emulate his experiences ("To get a feel for what it's like to live in a prison cell, test yourself. Spend ten hours--nonstop and alone--in your bathroom"), an effective technique. Though the book's stated goal is to warn kids away from Williams's path, its matter-of-fact, often homogenized tone connotes more of a plea for sympathy than a caution intended to frighten kids. Co-author Becnel's foreword contributes to this problem, although the stark black-and-white photographs of Williams, San Quentin and other prisons and prisoners toughens the tone to some degree. Those concerned that purchasing the book will profit a convicted killer can be reassured: Williams's royalties will be donated to the Institute for the Prevention of Youth Violence. Ages 8-up. (Sept.)

Children's Literature - Susie Wilde

When he was seventeen, Williams started the notorious Crips gang in Los Angeles. In 1981 he was sent to San Quentin's death row. Through this book he hopes to guide young adults away from prison. His harsh truth combats the image he was given at age eleven of prison as a place where a young man could prove his toughness. This eighty page easy-to-read book tells the prison facts of life and how they have impacted Tookie. Living in a cell so small he has to turn his body sideways to enter, Williams describes the lack of privacy and privileges, constant noise, strip searches, the insanity of J-cat inmates, the violence, and living in extreme isolation in "the hole." His detailing works well to make the horrors real and he extends this periodically by translating an ugly situation into a teenager's life. For example, he suggests readers can capture the feeling of living in a cell by spending ten hours alone in a bathroom "with no more than a radio, a blanket, a book or magazine, and a couple of sandwiches. More information about Williams and other books he has produced to benefit the Institute for the Prevention of Youth Violence can be found on his web site: www.tookie.com.

Children's Literature - Donna P. Kalloch

This is the life story of Stanley "Tookie" Williams. A co-founder of the Crips gang, Williams tells the story of the downfall that landed him in prison for life. Williams gives a frank and stark look at life on death row in San Quentin Prison in northern California. He describes how bad and limited the food is. He tells how he learned of prison from a family friend who glamorized it as "gladiator school." Early on, prison seemed like fun for Williams. He would soon learn that it was in fact the complete opposite. He gives a stark, shocking description of the cells, facilities, and other inmates. Williams offers a test to the readers to see if they could hack it in prison, to prove to them that it is not a fun place to be. His descriptions seem harsh at first, but he does get his point across. This is a good book for classroom discussions in social awareness and/or crime prevention. It could be a good tool for at risk youths and parents of at risk youths. Photos were taken by the Williams family as well as inmates in the prison.

KLIATT

Williams went from South Central L.A. to San Quentin's death row in 10 short years. He and his friend Raymond Lee Washington co-founded a street gang that became the infamous Crips. Raymond was murdered in 1979, and Stan was sentenced to death two years later for the murder of four people during an armed robbery. His brutal and grim reflections on his life on the inside—the boring routine, narrow options, rules and spaces that chafe the heart and spirit—mirror his reflections on the endless cycle of fear and violence in the streets that lead to fear and violence behind bars. He says "The true stories I've written in this book are my living nightmares... make better choices than I did." Although Williams admits it was normal for kids from his neighborhood to expect to end up in prison, he's hoping his particular reality check, in this book and his Internet Project for Street Peace, will change that prognosis. He first met his co-author, Barbara Cottman Becnel, during interviews for her book on the history of the Crips and Bloods gang warfare. They have also collaborated on an eight-book series about the futility of gang violence. For his efforts to educate young people in the uselessness of anger and violence as a response to life, Williams was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. Black and white photographs lend a grainy, gritty realism to the text. This true-life story will serve as a hard-hitting addition to any YA justice collection. KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1998, North-South Books, SeaStar, 80p. illus., $4.95. Ages 16 to adult. Reviewer: Mary Arnold; Reg. YA Svcs. Mgr., Cuyahoga Cty.P.L., Maple Heig , September 2001 (Vol. 35 No. 5)

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-A cofounder of the notorious Crips gang in California recounts his life on death row. Chapters with titles such as "the hole," "rules," and "the strip search" include graphic, disturbing descriptions of prison life and this inmate's reaction to his incarceration. At the end of each chapter, Williams encourages readers to think about aspects of their lives that bother them, or that they take for granted, and consider what these issues are like for a death-row inmate. The author is straightforward about details of his life, and the book is written in a conversational, approachable tone. Black-and-white photos of Williams and fellow San Quentin prisoners are painful reminders of the life he is trying to steer kids away from. The book may leave readers wanting to know more about this man's work with violence prevention. However, it is a sobering personal view of life behind bars.-Carol Fazioli, The Brearley School, New York City, NY