Prison reform is an important and timely issue, and stories such as these emphasize the personal aspect of this complex issue while offering statistics for a fuller perspective. More importantly, she writes about ways to change these societal issues, including her founding of the Los Angeles-based organization A New Way of Life. She also examines these issues in a broader context for example, how the lack of employment and housing opportunities increases the odds of a person returning to prison. The author reflects on situations that directly affected her personal and professional life, such as being forced to return to unhealthy relationships upon reentering society because of the difficulty in securing a steady job and housing with a criminal record. In this memoir, Burton explores her life inside and outside of prison, along with the varied experiences that led her down that path.
Burton has helped thousands of formerly incarcerated and homeless individuals, and now, by telling her story, she continues to advocate for a more humane justice system guided by compassion and dignity. Burton has received a Top 10 CNN Hero award and a James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award, and the Los Angeles Times named Burton one of the nation’s New Civil Rights Leaders. In the second half of the book, Burton shares her step-by-step path to not only getting herself back on her feet but also of founding the standout nonprofit organization, A New Way of Life Reentry Project, to help other women burdened with a criminal record. Burton self-medicated to treat her pain, became addicted to drugs, and ended up in prison several times, facing seemingly impossible obstacles each time she was released. The damage done was made worse later, when her five-year-old son was struck by a car and killed in Los Angeles. First, Burton recounts her early years, revealing a girl’s life not interrupted but derailed by sexual abuse and emotional neglect. Burton, along with journalist and writer Lynn, presents an unflinching account of Burton’s life, told in two parts.
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