This book was written for the sole purpose of encouraging every institutionalized person to write their own work of literature for self-publication. The men and women that are institutionalized want to work and earn a living. If the country legislators need ideas about lowering the recidivism rate, this book represents what could be the first step. One day at a time and one page a night. One page today and one page tomorrow. Thirty pages this month then thirty pages next month. After twelve months you've got what's in your hands today! It's full of ideas for people who feel that they just don't have any place to turn. In this book, you'll find that all that is required to be successful is the energy to have and believe in your thoughts and ideas.

This book is the first manuscript I have brought to publication and I'm working on a few more to bring to print. The courage to write was born in the guilt of not having a formal education and a discipline of reading for many hours every day. This conditioning was instilled in me by older, wiser men who will never be released from prison or have a significant amount of time remaining to serve. These men would listen to me talk about community service, starting companies, higher learning, and what I should've been doing in my community. So they instructed me to learn, and to master what I've learned I had to teach, and to teach something of substance I had to read, write, and study for a minimum of eight to ten hours every day.

As I went through these steps I came across a book entitled How to Write a Memoir, and that book was the idea seed that led me to produce this work.

There are many men institutionalized who have the desire to become an author, but the tedious work of getting the work to publication is a major hurdle for them. This book represents my lighthouse, a beacon of light to look toward for every institutionalized person that I told I would write back, support their efforts in rehabilitation or their efforts to financially support their families and themselves. And I'm proud to personally have the skill to transcribe this work into braille for my ex-students and visually impaired brothers.
About the Author: John Leroy Hunt was born at Christian Welfare Hospital in East Saint Louis, IL on August 22, 1970 to Dwight L. Hunt and Jessie M. Hunt. His father was a Vietnam veteran who died in May of 1998. As is the case with many African Americans, his family originates out of Greenwood, MS and is spread out all over the US. Mr. Hunt started writing because he believed that if an individual had the capability to read and write, they should be able to have a diary at least. A diary is a good start for an amateur writer to expose their weaknesses in grammar while simultaneously exposing inner strengths and weaknesses. Mr. Hunt started writing while incarcerated in federal prison to be an example to other inmates that their life was not over and that the court system could not take away their mind and education. The author is working on two additional books to complete his three-book memoir set. The second book is primarily essays explaining the informal education he received while incarcerated at several different correctional institutions. The third book is composed of short stories about the major turning points in his life and how he had to deal with the consequences. He lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri and has no kids or pets. Surprisingly, he lives in an extended stay hotel, works in a fine restaurant, and studies in the field of Hotel and Restaurant Management at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park in St. Louis, MO. John L. Hunt's forthcoming book is entitled "A Puzzling Education in Essays." It will be released in 2013.