Official Review: Survivor I Changed the Rules

[Neleh403]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Survivor I Changed the Rules" by Therone Shellman.]

Thought provoking, infuriating, insightful, blunt, passionate and inspiring.

These are the words that came to mind once I had finished reading “Survivor” I Changed the Rules by Therone Shellman.

This book is an autobiography by Therone. He tells us how it was growing up in Long Island, New York. His mother’s failure to cope with her four children and what it was like in New York foster care system. Desperately trying to be a man in a child’s body, having to grow up before his time, and his love for his siblings and mother, the beginning of the book tells us how tough life can be. Therone goes on to tell the reader how to make a quick buck he got involved in the criminal aspect of New York. From dealing drugs then onto mugging people (mainly other dealers) and eventually armed robbery. He joined an organization called the five-percenters who lived by a certain code and set of rules. Eventually the life of crime that he lived ended up in his incarceration for armed robbery. Here he was transferred from prison to prison, always with a story to tell. The conclusion to his autobiography was not quite the fairy tale ending that we all hope for but this was real life, but all the same his attitude and passion for learning eventually got him the life he deserves.

I feel that I need to explain my first six words and why these came to mind when I had finished the book.

1. Thought provoking. Sometimes people don’t realize what they have. When reading this book it made me understand how precious life can be, and that living it is one of the most important lessons that can be learnt.
2. Infuriating. A good portion of this book made me mad. How can an intelligent, caring individual do the deeds that he did. Not just once or out of an act of desperation but to make money. He called himself a capitalist. At some points during this book I thought he was a drug dealing scumbag.
3. Insightful. Opened my eyes to the plight of others, the book was very descriptive both of the streets of New York and the prisons.
4. Blunt. No fancy wording, it was told as it was.
5. Passionate. You can tell by his story just how passionate Therone felt about not just his mother and siblings but also about how he was living his life, be it good or bad.
6. Inspiring. Perhaps this book could help young people who are living the life that Therone had lived. Showing them that no matter how bad things can get, there is always an alternative.

I will give this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would love to give it 4 but as I read at night (most of the time) and because some of the book did really make me mad I sometimes found sleep hard to get. I wish Therone well and look forward to the sequel. I will just make sure I don’t read it before sleep!!

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