biographies

The author has been imprisoned at San Quentin since 1981, on death row. He was sentenced to die for the murder of four committed during a convenience store robbery. As hard as it is to imagine caring about someone who has done such a thing, reading Tookie's book makes you feel sorry that his life has been wasted behind bars. You wonder what he could have done with his life if he had not gone down the road he chose.
This crime was not all Tookie did before he was arrested. He and a friend started the street gang the Crips, which has flourished and spread all over the world. What a legacy!
The purpose of Tookie's book was to dispel some of the street myths surrounding prison life. He had no fear of prison, which was considered a 'gladiator school' by kids on the streets. Once he was in the system he saw the reality and wanted to spread the truth.
Obviously Tookie is intelligent. The book is written in an easy-to-read format. He's aiming his message at young people who may not be the most sophisticated readers. The book is full of details that paint a realistic picture of all aspects of prison life. He also has a website where readers can communicate with him.
By the time you have finished this book you feel you know Tookie well and have shared his prison experiences. He has written other books, and reading this one makes you want to read more.

In this book, Life In Prison, Stanley "Tookie" Williams cofounder of the crips gang and Death Row inmate for sixteen years, offers a testimony that ends all myths about prison life in this book. In straightforward, honest prose, Williams out about what it's really like in prison-- and challenges all young people to choose the right path.

Told in first person, this realistic picture of prison life is meant by the author to serve as a cautionary message for youngsters who may be misled into thinking, like he did, that prisons are so called 'gladiator', a cool and manly place to be. He does a magnificent job in describing his caged feelings, the danger, humiliations, and crime of being held in prison. Stanley Williams, convicted of four murders, does not deserve to be compared to Nelson Mandela, in my opinion for being arrested for almost no reason. While Williams says he's sorry for dropping out of school, and so on.. he never once said sorry about killing four people.

I feel that Life In Prison is an outstanding bibliography of the life of Stanley Williams. I also think this book's theme is that you should watch who you hang around, and always think about what you're doing and where it could lead you to in the near future. Read Life In Prison to find out what happens on the other side of the prison wallsnd how inmates are really treated, or if you just want to learn more about The United States Justice System, Juvenile System, Law and Crime, 9-12 Sociology then this is the book for you.

The strengths which this book possesses is that it's very descriptive and really tells how he feels in a formal way. The one thing that I have against this book is that it only tells one side of the story. the author, Stanley Williams, also needs to further consider the age recommendations for this book. I think that it should be 12 and up.

So ask for this book and look for it in your local library. I still want to know how it is to live in prison for the rest of your life, don't you?

Tyler Cook, Grade 6 newburg Middle School

I never read the books or heard of Stan Tookie Williams, he was already in prison about time I was born. So I had no idea what his life was about till I saw the movie. I got an understanding who he was and what he was about. I really wish I could turn back the hands of time for him so he could get a second chance. Then I realize he is getting a second chance. By getting his stories out there and his movie he's changing someone life from alife of crime. And I'm glad he turned his life around.