The author has written this book as a caveat to all those who are naive and hardheaded, as he once was: Sometimes unwittingly making choices without ever considering the possible adverse consequences and repercussions of those choices. This is his story of thirty-eight years behind bars, replete with detailed accounts of prison escapes, inmate violence, unethical prison guards, inadequate prison health care, and a brief commentary on the old felony murder law as it existed prior to 1980. The book also contains events and significant emotional experiences of the author's childhood and family members. It is the story of a young man in his early twenties who chose the wrong friends, started using drugs and subsequently, made several tragic errors in judgment that literally cost another young man his life. The first chapter is a thorough narrative of his crime, which began as a drug deal, evolved into a rip off and resulted in armed robbery and first-degree murder. Although three individuals committed this crime, only the author was convicted and sent to prison for life. His two accomplices used and betrayed him. One testified against him and walked away with virtual immunity, while the other was acquitted of all charges. The author gives an account of many interesting survival experiences, including his own escape and cross country trek to California, where he was arrested by the FBI after four months of freedom. While being transported back to Michigan, he once again attempts escape by breaking his handcuffs and jumping out of a vehicle traveling at seventy miles per hour. Once back inside prison walls, he spends the next eighteen months in the hole, where he finally realizes that he has always been his own worst enemy and begins making a conscience effort to become his own best friend.
About the Author: James A. Goble was twenty-two years old in 1973, when he was convicted and sentenced to twenty to thirty years for armed robbery, and life for first-degree felony murder. He is now sixty years old, and has spent the past thirty- eight years in Michigan's prison system. Over the years James has earned sixteen educational and vocational certificates. He has worked for over twenty years in horticulture, and has written a number of articles on the propagation and cultivation of Cacti and Succulents that have been published in international magazines. James is an honorably discharged veteran, A Member of the Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans of the Vietnam War Inc. He is divorced, and has two sisters. James is hopeful that this book will have a positive influence on others and help readers gain insight by reading of his mistakes and experiences. James offers no excuses and freely admits he was once a very cynical, irresponsible and ignorant young man. He believes that when he started using drugs, he destroyed any chance he might have had for a decent life. It took James many years to realize he was his own worst enemy, but since that time, he has made a sincere and conscious effort to become his own best friend. James concedes that he did many irresponsible and harmful things to himself that he would have never allowed anyone to do to him. But change is inevitable and today, James is a totally different person from that young man who entered the prison system thirty-eight years ago. He's learned that he has many responsibilities in this life and that every decision has consequences. James expresses many regrets in life, but none more insuperable than being responsible for the death of another human being. James still remains hopeful that one day he will be released. To read more about James, please visit his website at www.freejamesgoble.com.