My Time Will Come

Adult Memoir 

     " I shot Debbie Baigre on July 27, 1990.  I was thirteen and, along with a group of older boys, I was trying to rob her and the man who was walking her to her car."

     Ian Manuel and his mother were homeless, evicted for falling behind in rent, staying with a friend.  He and his friends were trying to get some money.  When it started getting late they agreed to jack the next people they saw.  Instead of cooperating with their demands, Baigre screamed and ran.  Manuel used the gun he was holding.

     He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.  Basically the judge was saying that at the age of fourteen he was beyond hope.  Even if he could turn his life around it wouldn't make a difference.  

     This is despite the work done by researchers proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that areas in the thirteen-year-old brain controlling emotions, impulsivity, and judgment are nowhere near mature.  It's also despite the toxic levels of trauma Manuel suffered during his formative years.

     Manuel's prison years were full of cruelty and unpredictable violence.  Eighteen of them were in solitary, confined to a space about the size of the smaller bathroom in my trailer and denied all human contact.  The United Nations has condemned solitary beyond fifteen days as torture.  Eighteen years!

     In My Time Will Come Manuel describes his life before and during confinement and his struggle to leave prison alive, to show the world that he was more than the worst thing he ever did.

     In his forward Bryan Stevenson tells readers:

     "We remain the nation with the highest rate of incarceration in the world.  We have condemned thousands of children to die in prison who are still incarcerated today.  Our prison system is notoriously cruel, and we have shown a shameful unwillingness to help the most needy, disabled, and traumatized people in our nation.  But Ian's story shows that we can turn things around."

     This in itself provides ample reason to read the book.

On a purrrsonal note, it was a really nice weekend.  Eugene had a good time at camp while Tobago and I partied it up at home.  And the beautiful tree is still up for us to enjoy. ( Jules)

It was a great weekend.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene.  We miss him when he's away.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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