Better, not bitter : the power of hope and living on purpose / Yusef Salaam.

By:

Salaam, Yusef, 1974- [author.]

Material type: Text

TextPublisher: New York : Grand Central Publishing, 2022Edition: First trade editionDescription: 292 pages : black and white illustrations ; 21 cmContent type:

text

Media type:

unmediated

Carrier type:

volume

ISBN:

9781538704998
1538704994

Other title:

Power of hope and living on purpose

Subject(s):

Genre/Form:

Autobiographies.

DDC classification:

365/.6092 B 23

Contents:

Introduction: Born on purpose, with a purpose -- The escape -- Master Yusef Salaam -- Before -- 95A1113 -- Elevate and decide in the air -- Love and war -- SALAAM BALONEY! -- The safest man you could ever meet -- The expendability of a people -- A mother's love -- Ignorance as a trillion-dollar industry -- Become an alchemist.

Summary: "They didn't know who they had. So begins Yusef Salaam telling his story. No one's life is the sum of the worst things that happened to them, and during Yusef Salaam's seven years of wrongful incarceration as one of the Central Park Five, he grew from child to man, and gained a spiritual perspective on life. Yusef learned that we're all 'born on purpose, with a purpose.' Despite having confronted the racist heart of America while being 'run over by the spiked wheels of injustice,' Yusef channeled his energy and pain into something positive, not just for himself but for other marginalized people and communities. Better Not Bitter is the first time that one of the now Exonerated Five is telling his individual story, in his own words. Yusef writes his narrative: growing up Black in central Harlem in the '80s, being raised by a strong, fierce mother and grandmother, his years of incarceration, his reentry, and exoneration. Yusef connects these stories to lessons and principles he learned that gave him the power to survive through the worst of life's experiences. He inspires readers to accept their own path, to understand their own sense of purpose. With his intimate personal insights, Yusef unpacks the systems built and designed for profit and the oppression of Black and Brown people. He inspires readers to channel their fury into action, and through the spiritual, to turn that anger and trauma into a constructive force that lives alongside accountability and mobilizes change. This memoir is an inspiring story that grew out of one of the gravest miscarriages of justice, one that not only speaks to a moment in time or the rage-filled present, but reflects a 400-year history of a nation's inability to be held accountable for its sins. Yusef Salaam's message is vital for our times, a motivating resource for enacting change. Better, Not Bitter has the power to soothe, inspire and transform. It is a galvanizing call to action."--Provided by publisher.

List(s) this item appears in: New Adult Nonfiction

Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Collection	Shelving location	Call number	Status	Notes	Date due	Barcode	Item holds
Adult Book	Phillipsburg Free Public Library	Adult Non-Fiction	New Books	365.6092 SAL	Available	pap ed.		36748002623991

Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Named a Best Book of 2021 by NPR

This inspirational memoir serves as a call to action from prison reform activist Yusef Salaam, of the Exonerated Five, that will inspire us all to turn our stories into tools for change in the pursuit of racial justice.

They didn't know who they had.

So begins Yusef Salaam, telling his whole story for the first time: of resilience in the face of one of the gravest miscarriages of justice. Despite having confronted the racist heart of America, Yusef channeled his energy and pain into self-determination and positivity. During his seven years of wrongful incarceration as one of the Central Park Five, Yusef gained a spiritual perspective on life, realizing that we are all "born on purpose, with a purpose."

Better, Not Bitter is the inspirational story of a young man growing up in central Harlem in the '80s, the failure of America's criminal justice system, of being vilified by a nation. But during his years of incarceration, Yusef discovered the power of art and faith, and of holding on to the person you know you are, which gave him the strength to survive, and helped him through reentry and exoneration.

Yusef's journey inspires us to accept our own path, to discover our own sense of purpose. His intimate insights help unpack the racist design of systems built for profit and oppression of Black and Brown people. This motivational memoir urges us to channel fury into action, and to turn anger and trauma into a constructive force to enact change in one's own life and for a better future.

Includes a reading group guide.

"They didn't know who they had. So begins Yusef Salaam telling his story. No one's life is the sum of the worst things that happened to them, and during Yusef Salaam's seven years of wrongful incarceration as one of the Central Park Five, he grew from child to man, and gained a spiritual perspective on life. Yusef learned that we're all 'born on purpose, with a purpose.' Despite having confronted the racist heart of America while being 'run over by the spiked wheels of injustice,' Yusef channeled his energy and pain into something positive, not just for himself but for other marginalized people and communities. Better Not Bitter is the first time that one of the now Exonerated Five is telling his individual story, in his own words. Yusef writes his narrative: growing up Black in central Harlem in the '80s, being raised by a strong, fierce mother and grandmother, his years of incarceration, his reentry, and exoneration. Yusef connects these stories to lessons and principles he learned that gave him the power to survive through the worst of life's experiences. He inspires readers to accept their own path, to understand their own sense of purpose. With his intimate personal insights, Yusef unpacks the systems built and designed for profit and the oppression of Black and Brown people. He inspires readers to channel their fury into action, and through the spiritual, to turn that anger and trauma into a constructive force that lives alongside accountability and mobilizes change. This memoir is an inspiring story that grew out of one of the gravest miscarriages of justice, one that not only speaks to a moment in time or the rage-filled present, but reflects a 400-year history of a nation's inability to be held accountable for its sins. Yusef Salaam's message is vital for our times, a motivating resource for enacting change. Better, Not Bitter has the power to soothe, inspire and transform. It is a galvanizing call to action."--Provided by publisher.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

Introduction: Born on Purpose, with a Purpose (p. 1)
1 The Escape (p. 17)
2 Master Yusef Salaam (p. 39)
3 Before (p. 57)
4 95A1113 (p. 75)
5 Elevate and Decide in the Air (p. 99)
6 Love and War (p. 125)
7 Salaam Baloney! (p. 147)
8 The Safest Man You Could Ever Meet (p. 169)
9 The Expendability of a People (p. 197)
10 A Mother's Love (p. 223)
11 Ignorance as a Trillion-Dollar Industry (p. 247)
12 Becoming an Alchemist (p. 265)
Acknowledgments (p. 283)
Suggested Reading List (p. 287)
Reading Group Guide (p. 289)
About the Author (p. 293)