An emotional, page-turning account of unhealed trauma and personal
transformation that will break your heart and change your mind, in the
tradition of Somebody's Daughter, A Piece of Cake, and Jesmyn Ward's
Men We Reaped
Riveting, honest, and raw, I Can Take It From Here recounts Lisa
Forbes's harrowing journey into darkness -- including a
fourteen-year-long stint in a maximum-security prison -- and her fierce
resolve to understand the effects of the trauma she endured, to take
personal responsibility for her actions, and to ensure that her history
does not dictate her destiny.
The youngest of six children, Lisa grew up in a Chicago housing project
where she endured sexual, religious, and emotional abuse as a little
girl. A voracious reader, she graduated high school at 15 and went to
work as a secretary in a downtown insurance office, became pregnant at
16 and, at 19, unexpectedly and uncharacteristically committed a violent
act, stabbing and killing the father of her daughter.
Providing powerful insights into what we as a society need to learn and
confront in the ongoing epidemic of mass re-incarceration, Lisa is a
stunning example of an individual who through determination, knowledge,
and hard work has been able to reclaim her own life.
The book ends with Lisa's rousing call to action to support the
people--as well as the shorthanded employers--who need the help, and
need each other, more than ever.
