Orange County - Curtis, Christopher

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Résumé :
The land of milk and honey, streets paved with gold, and a place your dreams can come true are the illusions of Orange County. But, when you cross to the other side, The Dark Side, life is quite different. On the dark side, allowances given are lines of cocaine. Drive-by shootings are a daily occurrence, and parents are not the protectors but the ones who send you out to score for them. This was Christopher Curtis' life. Taking the reader to some of his earliest memories and on through his third strike prison sentence, this book is gritty and realistic. All the systems in place to help the kids who fall through the cracks failed Christopher. As he matures, the addiction, crimes and lifestyle accelerate and degrade. The book contains the despair that, at times, Christopher did not even realize was part of his day. The ups and downs of drugs. The using and selling, the getting away with and being punished for his crimes. The community that revolves around an addict are all exposed in plain language, the original written by Christopher on a typewriter. What do you do when the deck is not only stacked against you but reinforced with concrete? Survival is the only goal. And survive is what Christopher did. He is here to tell the tale with the hope that someone also on the Dark Side of their street catches a glimpse of themselves and can see the way to a better life.

Biographie:
Christopher Curtis is an ex-gang member who was given a sentence of 28 to life in California under the three strikes law. During his time in prison, he changed his life. Christopher earned an AA degree in social sciences, a Vocation in Electrical, and completed several self-help courses. With changes in California law, Curtis was released for good behavior through the Board of Prison Terms. Christopher wrote a non-fiction memoir about growing up on the streets, showing his experiences of what transpired through that time, including drugs, gangs, and violence, eventually leading to prison with a life sentence. He wants to get his story out to help the next person not make the same mistakes. The book starts in his childhood and shows the basis for his behavior as an adolescent and adult. It continues to present the ultimate destruction of his life and other people's lives. Today Christopher is a functioning, employed, and contributing citizen of his community.