Review by Booklist Review
Haynes ran for Congress in 2020, hoping to become the first Black congresswoman from Tennessee. Her path was complicated and unlikely. Despite a stable, happy childhood, a relationship with a deceptive boyfriend led to a wrongful drug-related felony and three years in federal prison. Against all odds, she succeeded in attending law school and becoming a Nashville public defender, but even so, she was nearly stymied by racism and sexism and a broken bureaucracy. Haynes uses "we" when she writes about the formerly incarcerated and her clear mission is advocacy for a "Second Chance Culture" in the criminal justice system. This imperative inspired her to work for reform. Haynes' candor, persistence, and drive are palpable and inspirational. In relaying her story, she seamlessly acknowledges larger systemic and racial issues, elucidating flaws in the system at every turn, from representation in court before conviction to having to pay for room and board at a post-prison halfway house. She is an important voice of experience, having participated in the justice system as both a prisoner and an attorney.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
"Achieving real justice requires applying constant pressure," writes Haynes (campaign strategist, the Sentencing Project) in her exceptionally informative memoir. At 19, Haynes was arrested after signing for packages that, unbeknownst to her, contained marijuana. Faced with mandatory minimum sentencing laws and an unforgiving judge, Haynes was sentenced to federal prison. While incarcerated, she worked toward her dream of a career in law, assisted her lawyer with the appeal of her case, and helped other incarcerated people navigate legal hurdles. After her release, she graduated from law school and became a public defender, which she says was motivated by her desire to give people impacted by the penal system a better experience than her own. Wanting to make a greater impact at the policy level, Haynes became legal counsel for a non-profit and later ran a grassroots campaign for Congress. In this memoir, she excels at drawing clear comparisons between her own experiences and the widespread inequities of criminal law, especially for Black and brown people. VERDICT Readers interested in law and systemic racism will come away with greater insight from this highly recommended book. Haynes's perseverance, compassion, and relatability create a memoir that will stick with readers long after the last page.--Anitra Gates, Erie Cty. P.L., PA
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A Black, female former public defender and congressional candidate reflects on her experiences navigating the racist, sexist justice system that incarcerated her "for a crime I did not commit." Haynes was raised in Franklin, Tennessee, a town that, during her childhood, still celebrated its Confederate past. "My high school mascot," she writes, "was the Franklin Rebel, a cartoon of a smug Confederate soldier." Surrounded by multiple generations of loving family, Haynes grew up hardworking, ambitious, and well-loved. Through a combination of loans and retail jobs, she paid her way through college, where she majored in criminal psychology. While balancing work and education, Haynes met C, a charming man who lived in Memphis and whose attention Haynes found flattering. In a purported effort to help her pay her bills, C asked her if she would sign for a series of packages associated with his company, Beepers Plus. As a bonus, he offered her $50 for each one she accepted. Thinking that the packages contained only items associated with C's business, Haynes accepted. Later, Haynes discovered that the seemingly innocuous packages were filled with marijuana, which she learned only when the police accused her of conspiring with C to sell drugs. Despite going to trial and pleading innocent, Haynes was sentenced to seven years in prison. This experience would inform the rest of her life. "I was one person--young, female, and Black--against a much larger, much stronger force, whose intentions, it seemed, were not to serve and protect but to intimidate and harass," she writes. "To fit me into whatever narrative they had dreamed up and then punish me accordingly." The author's story is both inspiring and heartbreaking, and her voice is simultaneously impassioned and informed. Haynes is adept at using her personal experience to illustrate general truths about the flaws in the criminal justice system as well as specific avenues for reform. A gripping, passionate memoir about a wrongly incarcerated Black woman's drive for judicial reform. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
