My Time Will Come: A Memoir of Crime, Punishment, Hope, and Redemption

“Ian is magic. His story is difficult and heartbreaking, but he takes us places we need to go to understand why we must do better,” writes Bryan Stevenson in the forward of Ian Manuel’s new memoir. At fourteen Manuel was sentenced to life without parole for a non-homicide crime. The United States is the only country in the world that sentences thirteen- and fourteen-year-old offenders, mostly youth of color, to life in prison without parole, regardless of the scientifically proven singularities of the developing adolescent brain. My Time Will Come captures the fullness of Manuel’s humanity, as he powerfully testifies about growing up homeless in Central Park Village in Tampa, Florida—a neighborhood riddled with poverty, gang violence, and drug abuse—and of his efforts to rise above his circumstances, only to find himself, partly through his own actions, imprisoned for two-thirds of his life. Manuel shares how he endured the savagery of the United States prison system through his dedication to writing poetry and through the hope from others advocating for his freedom. Through this transcendent story of redemption, join us for a personal look at how we can address our judicial system and bring about “just mercy.”

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