"I have done plenty of bad and highly disrespectful things towards people; however, from my point of view, they were people who deserved every bit of my disrespectful behavior."
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The Corruption of Blood by Jermayne J. Davis Trafford Publishing
book review by Karyn Saemann
Authentically raw, insightful, and inspiring, Davis strikes deep dissonant chords in this fictionalized account of his life. As the author did in real life, the main character, Paul Williams, goes from hard core south Philadelphia criminal to redeemed, productive citizen after a long and reflective prison term. Getting there is a rough road, however. Most of the 214-page narrative chronicles Williams' descent into organized drug dealing and street violence. The trajectory is a bloody one, and readers aren't spared messy details of fatal gun fights and stabbings. But those who can stomach the gore get a realistic, societally significant glimpse of the fragility of street crime alliances; how they form, how quickly they can crumble, and how a sudden unraveling can lead to revenge and murder that is fully justified in a perpetrator's mind.
Williams' neighborhood and his relationships feel unflinchingly real because the author is writing about what he lived. But it's not all bad. Just when Williams seems destined to spend his life incarcerated, circumstances shift. A cellmate introduces him to Islam. Religion, the love of family, educational opportunities, and an unexpected jury decision combine to turn his life around. At the book's conclusion, Williams ponders the cycle of poverty that breeds violence. This is a moment that demands a slow read and later contemplation. Davis is a good writer, skillfully organizing and intelligently expressing his thoughts. Painful and profound, a novel mainstream America might want to close its eyes to, but shouldn't.
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