Writing My Wrongs summary

Did you ever think about running away as a kid? Well, Shaka was one of the few who ended up actually doing it. Shaka turned 14 in 1986, at the high point of Detroit’s crack epidemic. He became preoccupied with smoking cigarettes, dating girls and staying out late.

Shaka’s mother was dismayed. During his weekend visits to her home, she had no idea how to manage his rebellious behavior other than by physically punishing him, or reminding him that he was free to pack up and walk right out the door. It wasn’t long before Shaka did just that.

Most 14-year-olds have different priorities than adults; when you’re young, it’s easy to get carried away by your desire for social acceptance and money. This was especially true for Shaka, and without parental guidance, there was nothing holding him back.

Shaka soon became enthralled by the money he was earning. Armed with his new weekly salary, he began to frequent local malls, shopping for the freshest clothes and sneakers. Between the Jordans, Filas and Ballys, Shaka spent more money building his wardrobe in a short time than most adults do in years.

When you think of drug addicts, who do you think of? Loving mothers? Schoolteachers? Established professionals? As Shaka would soon learn through experience, the crack epidemic that gripped Detroit in the 1980s affected all sectors of society and all areas of the community.

The drug world brought Shaka in direct contact with despair and suffering. On one occasion, Shaka was visited by a woman known as the “head doctor.” With unwashed clothes, tangled hair and red eyes, she displayed all the obvious signs of crack addiction. People called her the “head doctor” because she offered to exchange oral sex for drugs with anyone who had them, even if they were just a kid, like Shaka.

American prisons are very dangerous places. Theft and violent crime are commonplace, and guards can do little to protect inmates from each other.

Take the story of a prisoner on Shaka’s block named Seven. Once, Seven gave away some of his breakfast to a newbie inmate. Later, Seven asked the newbie how he was going to repay him for the food. The newbie inmate, confused, said that he thought Seven had just not been hungry.

When you think of the best places to get an education, prison likely wouldn’t be one of the first to come to mind – but this was indeed the case for Shaka. With all the time he suddenly had on his hands, Shaka began to borrow novels from the prison library.

Before long, Shaka was led to discover the works of authors such as Malcolm X. These authors discussed issues such as the history of African people in America, and their books helped Shaka make sense of issues of race in America. He could now understand better why prisons were disproportionately filled with black people.