Forbes’s memoir reads like a mash-up of episodes of Orange is The New Black, a Toni Morrison novel, a self-improvement book, and a polemic—in the best possible way. None of this should come as a surprise, since Forbes found literature, including Morrison and Shakespeare while incarcerated for stabbing her daughter’s father. The book unfolds in ways that clearly identify the ways in which childhood sexual trauma and its enduring effects shaped Forbes’ trajectory, yet she never positions herself as a victim at the individual level.
Verdict: Forbes has a story that needs to be read, and one that she has clearly synthesized and analyzed to ensure its significance encompasses both her personal successes and a much larger societal reform.
— Library Journal Starred Review
“Lisa's story and the writing was quite compelling. Lisa Forbes' memoir forced me to rethink how best to impact change. In her book Lisa argues that, while housing and jobs are indeed a major obstacle to returning citizens, addressing the underlying trauma that leads so many to the criminal justice system should be at the real core of our work as society. Her gripping and, at times, graphic story of her trials, tribulations, and triumph left me inspired.”
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— Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President & CEO, Society for Human Resource Management SHRM
“…working piecemeal through her lifetime of trauma, she dedicated herself to helping fellow "Restored citizens." Forbes' clear, honest, and inspiring memoir proves she is a champion for herself and the struggle against mass incarceration and recidivism."
— Review by Booklist, Published By the American Library Association
