A MUST READ MEMOIR!!! I’m not a major fan of them but I’m looking to change that. I’ve only read a couple within the past year and this is now one of my top favs. D.Watkins story was soooo powerful, captivating, and filled with emotion and vulnerability. His story can be seen as relatable and inspiring because there are other black men and boys that have experienced these same things.

Watkins writing is amazing, descriptive, and precise it didn’t really read like a memoir. It was almost like having a normal conversation with him about his life experiences. I was drawn in by his honesty and how down to earth he was when expressing the things he’s been through and how it all affected him.

I was actually brought to tears after reading his camp story. As a parent we send our kids places thinking they’ll be safe only for unimaginable things to happen while they’re away and they never tell you. My heart really broke for him after that because what he experienced at camp was not only traumatic but unfair.

I love how he was able to take all of these difficult moments and use them as life lessons for survival throughout his journey. No matter what life threw his way he didn’t allow it to break him. As he stated in the book, “The people I respected taught me that fear was the worst thing a man could feel.” I hate men have been conditioned to believe they can’t show emotions or express how they feel. It was definitely a wild ride seeing the things he went through from a young child that later helped shape him into the man he is today. The story involving his wife Caron was so heartwarming too.

Overall, this was a page-turner had I not been reading other books in between I could’ve ate this up in one sitting. Special thanks to the author & @legacylitbooks for my gifted copy!!!!

Rating: 5/5⭐️