Monday, January 23, 2012

Grace After Midnight: a Memoir by Felicia "Snoop" Pearson and David Ritz


Some of the most popular requests from students are for books about “real life.” Sometimes they’re looking for realistic fiction, but often they’re looking for a real story about a real person who has been through difficult times. Grace After Midnight fits the bill. Anyone who has watched the latter part of HBO’s groundbreaking series The Wire will know Snoop’s character, a soldier for Marlo’s drug-dealing crew who commits murders with calm professionalism. What they may not know is that Felicia “Snoop” Pearson was living a life very similar to her character’s when she was discovered by one of the actors in the show. Recruited for being “perfect” for the role, Snoop’s life was suddenly turned upside down.

Snoop tells her story in a simple and direct way that is sure to draw students in to her world. Opening with a memory of her birth mother, a crack-addicted woman who once sold the clothes off Snoop’s back for drugs, this story pulls the reader in from the very beginning. It’s filled with memories of her life with the foster parents she loves, her crime-filled neighborhood, and her time in prison. She’s also very candid about her sexual identity and her relationships with women. --Anja Kennedy

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