Outskirts Press, INC.

Even the dream of college and sports and a personal commitment to his mother, could not prevent Duane Freeman from falling victim to the lure of his Compton, California, neighborhood’s vice and violence.

Even the dream of college, sports, and a personal commitment to his mother could not prevent Duane Freeman from falling victim to the lure of his neighborhood’s vice and violence in Compton, California. 
 Betrayed by his childhood sweetheart and his best friend, he is arrested for attempted murder and ushered into the largest human warehousing system in the United States — the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Rather than fall victim to mindless prison politics, learned helplessness, and slow death so many young Black men in the system were trapped in, Duane discovers his true self, reaffirms his heritage, and finds his personal dignity as he transforms his character. 
 After serving seven years of his ten-year sentence, he returns to the streets a focused man with a plan. Despite growth in making good choices and decisions, Duane is put to the ultimate test when history repeats itself: will he go forward, or will disappointment overrule his judgment and cause him to revisit the dark, foul pits of hell?