Review 341: My Time Will Come

My Time Will Come: A Memoir of Crime, Punishment, Hope, and Redemption by Ian Manuel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This was a heart-breaking book, but unfortunately not all that well written. Occasionally the time line is confusing, although generally it is a linear account of his life in prison. Ian Manuel committed a crime, a robbery with a gun and shot a woman in the face, although she did not die, when he was 13 years old. He wasn't alone, but his sentence was beyond the pale for someone so young. Worse yet is the treatment in prison, being in solitary confinement or CM, close management.

One positive note, the US Supreme Court ruled that giving life without parole sentences to juveniles that commit crimes without homicide is illegal.

Manuel intersperses some of his writing with his poetry, and his words to the court are more polished than the book. His story would be better served with more editing, or someone to help with the writing. Nonetheless, an important book to learn about life behind bars in Florida.