After life : my journey from incarceration to freedom

First Title Value for Searching:

Personal Author:

Johnson, Alice Marie, 1955-

Edition:

1st Harper Pbk.s ed.

Physical Description:

x, 278 p. : ill. (chiefly col.) ; 21 cm.

Summary:

Describes how the author coped during her twenty years of imprisonment after receiving a life sentence under the mandatory sentencing laws for her nonviolent involvement in a Memphis cocaine trafficking organization by relying on her faith. In 2018, President Trump commuted her sentence at the behest of Kim Kardashian West.

Subject Term:

Ex-convicts -- United States -- Biography.

Prisoners -- United States -- Biography.

Prison reformers -- United States -- Biography.

Drug traffic -- Tennessee -- Memphis -- History -- 20th century.

Additional Credits:

French, Nancy, 1974-

Kardashian, Kim, 1980-

Publication Information:

New York : Harper, 2020.

Subject:

Ex-convicts -- United States -- Biography.

Prisoners -- United States -- Biography.

Prison reformers -- United States -- Biography.

Drug traffic -- Tennessee -- Memphis -- History -- 20th century.

Johnson, Alice Marie, 1955-

Ex-cons

Ex-offenders

Ex-prisoners

Formerly incarcerated persons

Drug dealing

Drug production, Illicit

Drug smuggling

Drug trade, Illicit

Drug trafficking

Drugs -- Prices and sale

Illicit drug production

Illicit drug trade

Narcotic trade

Narcotic traffic

Narcotic trafficking

Smuggling of drugs

Smuggling of narcotics

Traffic, Drug

Trafficking in drugs

Trafficking in narcotics

SAILS ISBN:

9780062936097

Available:

Library	Shelf Number	Shelf Location	Status
Searching... Keeley Library	364.8 JOH 2020	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Foreword by Kim Kardashian West

The true-life story of the woman whose life sentence for non-violent drug trafficking was commuted by President Donald Trump thanks to the efforts of Kim Kardashian West--an inspiring memoir of faith, hope, mercy, and gratitude.

How do you hold on to hope after more than twenty years of imprisonment For Alice Marie Johnson the answer lies with God.

For years, Alice lived a normal life without a criminal record--she was a manager at FedEx, a wife, and a mother. But after an emotionally and financially tumultuous period in her life left her with few options, she turned to crime as a way to pay off her mounting debts. Convicted in 1996 for her nonviolent involvement in a Memphis cocaine trafficking organization, Alice received a life sentence under the mandatory sentencing laws of the time. Locked behind bars, Alice looked to God. Eventually becoming an ordained minister, she relied on her faith to sustain hope over more than two decades--until 2018, when the president commuted her sentence at the behest of Kim Kardashian West, who had taken up Alice's cause.

In this honest, faith-driven memoir, Alice explains how she held on to hope and gave it to others, from becoming a playwright to mentoring her fellow prisoners. She reveals how Christianity and her unshakeable belief in God helped her persevere and inspired her to share her faith in a video that would go viral--and come to the attention of celebrities who were moved to action.

Today, Alice is an icon for the prison reform movement and a humble servant who embraces gratitude and God for her freedom. In this powerful book, she recalls all of the firsts she has experienced through her activism and provides an authentic portrait of the crisis that is mass incarceration. Linking social justice to spiritual faith, she makes a persuasive and poignant argument for justice that transcends tribal politics. Her story is a beacon in the darkness of despair, reminding us of the power of redemption and the importance of making second chances count.

After Life features 16 pages of color photographs.

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

A freed federal prisoner recounts how she got inand out.Johnson was born in Mississippi, one of nine children who lived in a sharecropper's shack: "No matter where I was situated," she writes, "I couldn't toss or turn. We fit snugly together and dared not move until the next day, when the sun's rays came through the poorly insulated windows and warmed us." Her parents aspired to better things, though, and having secretly built a home in a town 10 miles awaysecretly to avoid angering the white farm owner in those last days of Jim Crowthey moved. Johnson was a motivated, smart student who got pregnant as a sophomore in high school; she kept up with her education all the same, eventually getting a job as a secretary. A too-good-to-be-true scenario unfolded when she was recruited to act as a relayer of messages between customers and a drug ringand then was arrested in a major sting operation. "I didn't know this at the time," she writes, "but whenever someone is up on drug charges, cooperating witnesses frequently jump in on that case to reduce their own sentences." Promoted from go-between to ringleader as a result of others' testimony, Johnson was sentenced, under mandatory guidelines, to life in a federal penitentiaryfirst California, meaning that her family could not afford to visit, and later in Texas and Alabama. She made good use of her prison time, writing religious plays, being cheerfully helpful, and steering clear of troubleall qualities that helped bring her case to the attention of Kim Kardashian, who in turn put her husband, Kanye West, on it, using his connections: "I know Kanye had opened the door for my release through his support of President Trump." Freed last year after serving "twenty-one years, seven months and six days," she has since become an advocate for prisoners' rights, "fighting for those I left behind."A moving, inspirational story that makes a powerful argument for sentencing reform. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

In June 2018, after Kim Kardashian West lobbied him, President Trump commuted the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old great-grandmother sentenced to life in prison without parole for a first-time, nonviolent drug conviction. Johnson, a mother of five who became pregnant for the first time at age 14, served nearly 22 years behind bars. Despite the happy ending, this powerful memoir is heartbreaking. Among other things, Johnson missed her beloved mother's funeral. With help from faith-based veteran writer French, Johnson notes that the U.S. leads the world in incarceration rates, with five percent of the global population but a quarter of its prisoners. Johnson was no saint, but she criticizes her judge for making her sound like El Chapo. In prison, she turns over a new leaf, wearing a Christ is counting on you necklace, working with chaplains, maintaining a perfect record, and leading theatrical productions. The book covers her entire life, including what it's like to get out and experience GPS for the first time. With a foreword by Kardashian, Johnson's story will certainly generate buzz.--Karen Springen Copyright 2019 Booklist