Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and One Man's Story of Redemption in an American Prison Audiobook

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An unforgettable memoir of redemption and second chances amidst America's mass incarceration epidemic, from a member of Oprah's SuperSoul 100 Shaka Senghor was raised in a middle class neighborhood on Detroit’s east side during the height of the 1980s crack epidemic. An honor roll student and a natural leader, he dreamed of becoming a doctor—but at age 11, his parents' marriage began to unravel, and beatings from his mother worsened, which sent him on a downward spiral. He ran away from home, turned to drug dealing to survive, and ended up in prison for murder at the age of 19, full of anger and despair.       Writing My Wrongs is the story of what came next. During his nineteen-year incarceration, seven of which were spent in solitary confinement, Senghor discovered literature, meditation, self-examination, and the kindness of others—tools he used to confront the demons of his past, forgive the people who hurt him, and begin atoning for the wrongs he had committed. Upon his release at age thirty-eight, Senghor became an activist and mentor to young men and women facing circumstances like his. His work in the community and the courage to share his story led him to fellowships at the MIT Media Lab and the Kellogg Foundation and invitations to speak at events like TED and the Aspen Ideas Festival. In equal turns, Writing My Wrongs is a page-turning portrait of life in the shadow of poverty, violence, and fear; an unforgettable story of redemption and a compelling witness to our country’s need for rethinking its approach to crime, prison, and the men and women sent there.

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“What makes this audiobook most enjoyable is its unique combination of story and the author’s narration…Senghor’s timbre is thick and heavy, and he speaks ardently and clearly as he talks about being a black man in the volatile environments of the prison system and the streets. He gives a detailed account of his life, and it is uncomfortable. His tone is most often gruff and direct, but there are warm moments, especially when he speaks of being in love. This is a moving audiobook because it’s the narrator’s own story.”

— AudioFile