The inspiring, instructive, and ultimately triumphant memoir of a man who used hard work and a Master Plan to turn a life sentence into a second chance. Growing up in a tough Washington, D.C., neighborhood, Chris Wilson was so afraid for his life he wouldn't leave the house without a gun. One night, defending himself, he killed a man. At eighteen, he was sentenced to life in prison with no hope of parole. But what should have been the end of his story became the beginning. Deciding to make something of his life, Chris embarked on a journey of self-improvement--reading, working out, learning languages, even starting a business. He wrote his Master Plan: a list of all he expected to accomplish or acquire. He worked his plan every day for years, and in his mid-thirties he did the impossible: he convinced a judge to reduce his sentence and became a free man. Today Chris is a successful social entrepreneur who employs returning citizens; a mentor; and a public speaker. He is the embodiment of second chances, and this is his unforgettable story.

“Doing time.” For prison writers, it means more than serving a sentence; it means staying alive and sane, preserving dignity, reinventing oneself, and somehow retaining one’s humanity. For the last quarter century the prestigious writers’ organization PEN has sponsored a contest for writers behind bars to help prisoners face these challenges. Bell Chevigny, a former prison teacher, has selected the best of these submissions from over the last 25 years to create Doing Time: 25 Years of Prison Writing—a vital work, demonstrating that prison writing is a vibrant part of American literature. This new edition will contain updated biographies of all contributors. The 51 original prisoners contributing to this volume deliver surprising tales, lyrics, and dispatches from an alien world covering the life span of imprisonment, from terrifying initiations to poignant friendships, from confrontations with family to death row, and sometimes share extraordinary breakthroughs. With 1.8 million men and women—roughly the population of Houston—In American jails and prisons, we must listen to “this small country of throwaway people,” in Prejean’s words. Doing Time frees them from their sentence of silence. We owe it to ourselves to listen to their voices.

"The Master Plan is less of a road map and more of a philosophy that we should all take to heart: We are all better than our worst decision, our sense of justice should honor the redemptive possibilities inherent in every person, and our destinies are truly intertwined."--Wes Moore, author of The Other Wes Moore Growing up in Washington, DC, Chris Wilson was surrounded by violence and despair. He watched his family and neighborhood shattered by trauma, and he lost his faith. One night when he was seventeen, defending himself, he killed a man. He was sentenced to life in prison with no hope of parole. But what should have been the end of his story became the beginning. Behind bars, Wilson embarked on a remarkable journey of self-improvement--reading, working out, learning languages, even starting a business. At nineteen, he sat down and wrote a list of all the things he intended to accomplish, and all the steps he'd have to take to get there. He called it his Master Plan. He revised that plan regularly and followed it religiously. Sixteen years later, it led him to an unlikely opportunity--and to a promise he has been working hard to live up to every day since. Harrowing, heartbreaking, and ultimately triumphant, The Master Plan is a memoir for this moment, proving that every person is capable of doing great things.

"This book fills longstanding gaps in negotiation, a field that too often assumes everyone in diverse societies navigates the same realities. Elite solutions do not trickle down easily to those breaking cycles of poverty and disempowerment. Asking your boss for a raise at a tech company, for example, requires a different negotiation strategy than asking Social Services to help you get your kids back from the court. Context matters. This book makes central how heritage, ethnicity, wealth, gender, age, education, and other factors influence what we ask for, how people respond to our requests, as well as what is at stake when we negotiate. The same strategies used in the boardroom--if deployed in the streets--can lead to dangerous altercations. Based on the wisdom of over 100 individuals who negotiate successfully from the margins, the book provides tools for those who need them most and a guide for instructors and managers wishing to support them"--

Literary Journalism Goes Inside Prison: Just Sentences opens up a new exploration of literary journalism – immersive, long-form journalism so beautifully written that it can stand as literature – in the first anthology to examine literary journalism and prison. In this book, a wide range of compelling subjects are considered. These include Nelson Mandela and other prisoners of apartheid; the made-in-prison podcast Ear Hustle; women’s experiences of life behind bars; Behrouz Boochani’s 2018 bestseller No Friend but the Mountains; George Orwell’s artful writing on incarceration; Pete Earley’s immersion into the largest prison in the United States, The Hot House; Arthur Koestler and the Spanish Civil War; Ted Conover’s year as a prison guard in Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing and (most originally) Bruce Springsteen’s execution narrative Nebraska. This volume will benefit anyone who writes, studies or teaches any form of narrative nonfiction. Eleven international scholars articulate what makes the work they are analysing so exceptional. At the same time, they offer insights on a diverse range of vital topics. These include journalism ethics, journalism and trauma, media history, cultural studies, criminology and social justice.

White women are one of the most influential demographics in America—we are the largest voting bloc, with purchasing power that exceeds anybody else's, and when we unify to demand change, we are a force to be reckoned with. Yet, so many of us sit idly on the sidelines, opting out of raising our hands to do, learn, and engage in ways that could make a difference. Why? White American women are no monolith. Yet, as Women's March national organizer Jenna Arnold has learned over the past few years criss-crossing the US in conversations with white women about their identity and role in the country, we do possess common characteristics—ones that get in the way of us becoming more engaged as citizens. We're so focused on checking off our to-do lists, or so afraid of getting it wrong, or so busy trying to avoid conflict, that we are actively avoiding the urgent conversations we need to have. We are confused about how we got here and unsure how to do better. Raising Our Hands is the reckoning cry for white women. It asks us to step up and join the new frontlines of the fight against complacency—in our homes, in our behaviors, and in our own minds. Consider Raising Our Hands your starting place, your "Intro to Being a White Woman in Today's World" freshman-year class. In these pages, Jenna peels back the history that's been kept out of textbooks and the cultural norms that are holding us back, so we can finally start really listening to marginalized voices and doing our part to promote progress. The American white woman is a powerful force—an essential participant—to mobilize alongside the rest of humanity on behalf of the world, and we can no longer make excuses for why we don't have time or don't know enough.

What's the secret of a great comeback? And how do we boost our mental fitness to succeed in sport and life? The Comeback Quotient provides inspiration and practical advice on building mental endurance and physical stamina. When bestselling sportswriter Matt Fitzgerald went through a coronavirus-George Floyd double whammy, he realized that nobody can escape setbacks in life so we all need to be able to pull off a comeback. In training for his first triathlon since 2009 and overcoming chronic injury, Matt Fitzgerald puts his ultrarealist mental fitness training to the test. In The Comeback Quotient, Matt Fitzgerald examines the science and stories behind some of the most astonishing sporting comebacks to uncover a new blueprint to survive and thrive. Why are some athletes able to overcome overwhelming odds and rebound stronger than ever? And can we unlock the secret of their success? Matt Fitzgerald identifies these mega-achievers of astounding athletic comebacks as ‘ultrarealists’, men and women who succeed where others fail by fully accepting, embracing, and addressing the reality of their situations. From triathletes like Mirinda Carfrae to ultrarunners like Rob Krar to rowers, skiers, cyclists and runners all over the world, Fitzgerald delves into stories that are not just compelling but constructive, laying out the steps anyone can take to bounce back from their own setbacks in sport and in life. In the tradition of his best-selling How Bad Do You Want It?, The Comeback Quotient combines gripping sports stories with cutting-edge science. Fitzgerald's insight will change forever how you perceive the challenges you face, giving you the inspiration and the tools to make the next great comeback you witness your own. "When the worst has happened, the best is next. The Comeback Quotient by Matt Fitzgerald provides elite-tested mental strategies for loving the comeback more than hating the setback." --Jim Afremow, author of The Champion's Mind "Matt Fitzgerald has a winner in The Comeback Quotient. You will be on the edge of your seat as he tells the inspiring comeback stories from some of the most interesting individuals on the face of the earth, realizing by the end that along the way you have been given a blueprint to orchestrate a few comebacks of your own." --Ben Rosario, Head Coach, HOKA ONE ONE NAZ Elite