Marty Angelo Ministries, Inc.

 

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Next ]

15 to Life: How I Painted My Way to Freedom 

15 to Life: How I Painted My Way to Freedom

Editorial Reviews from Amazon.com

From Publishers Weekly

This tension-filled memoir by a prisoner turned activist and artist may seem familiar after Jennifer Gonnerman's NBA-nominated Life on the Outside, but unlike Gonnerman, Papa describes excessive imprisonment under harsh drug laws with the grim certainty of firsthand experience. In 1984, he rashly agreed, for $500, to deliver a package containing four and a half ounces of cocaine for a gambling acquaintance. It turned out to be a sting, and Papa was convicted and sentenced to 15 years to life. Although at first suffused with melodramatic regret, the account becomes leaner when Papa arrives at Sing Sing and describes the hazards and absurdities of the notoriously crowded, grimy prison. He found spiritual release from despair and violence through educational programs on painting, writing and law. Papa's public stature rose after a painting of his was exhibited at the Whitney Museum, and after numerous travails threatened his health and sanity, he was granted executive clemency after 12 years behind bars. Papa has since been active with the group Mothers of the Disappeared and the movement to repeal the overly harsh Rockefeller drug laws; his paintings combine surrealist overtones with hard-edged subjects often derived from the prison-industrial complex, and they reflect the material of his book memorably. 
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 

Book Description

It's 1985 and 29-year-old family man Anthony Papa is the owner of a failing radio repair business. Offered $500 to deliver an envelope for an acquaintance, the desperate Papa agrees, unaware of the cocaine inside or the sting operation that awaits. Though it's his first criminal offense, New York drugs laws dictate a mandatory 15-year-to-life prison term. 

Papa's life is ruined. His wife leaves, he can't see his daughter, and he's consumed by regret and thoughts of suicide until discovering painting — a pursuit that sustains him and gradually inspires him to fight for justice. When his self-portrait is exhibited at the Whitney Museum in 1994, a burst of public sympathy catches the attention of the governor and leads to Papa's eventual release just three years short of the full sentence. A riveting story featuring a 16-page signature with color photos and reproductions of Anthony Papa's art, 15 To Life is also an important social critique of America's draconian drug laws and a clarion call for reform. 

See author's website for additional reviews, details, photos, info.

[ Up ] [ "15 to Life: How I Painted My Way to Freedom" ] [ "70 x 7 and Beyond: The Mystery of the Second Chance" ] [ "Adumbrations: The Kingdom & Coming of Christ in the Book of Daniel" ] [ "Angels at the Crossroads" ] [ "Beat Up, Beat Down and Still Standing" ] [ "Betrayal: The Deepest Cut" ] [ "Between Two Fathers" ] [ "Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back" ] [ Big D "Victorious Through God's Grace" ] [ "Blood Covenant: The Michael Franzese Story" ] [ "Born Again" ] [ "Breaking into Prison 1 & 2" ] [ "Broken Minds: Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're 'Losing It' " ] [ "Champions for Life" ] [ Chaplain Ray's International Prison Ministry - Testimony Books - 1 of 2 ] [ Chaplain Ray's International Prison Ministry - Testimony Books - 2 of 2 ] [ "Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul" ] [ "Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, from Cocaine to Foie Gras" ] [ "Cooked in LA: I Shot for the Stars and Hit Bottom" ] [ "Danger Road: A True Crime Story of Murder and Redemption" ] [ "Deceptive Diagnosis: When Sin is Called Sickness" ] [ "Delivered" ] [ "Desperate Highway: The True Story of a Criminal" ] [ "Family Arrested: How to Survive the Incarceration of a Loved One" ] [ "Forgetta 'Bout It: From Mafia to Ministry" ] [ "Free At Last" ] [ "From Crack To The Cross" ] [ "From Jail To A Job" ] [ "Games Criminals Play: How You Can Profit By Knowing Them" ] [ "Got the Life" ] [ "Healing In The Hog Pen" ] [ "Held Hostage: A Serial Bank Robber's Road to Redemption" ] [ "Holes in Time: Autobiography of a Gangster" ] [ "Hooked" ] [ "How to Process a Legal Appeal Successfully" ] [ "Jazzed for Jesus: Two Jews Meet Their Messiah" ] [ "Lessons from San Quentin" ] [ "Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella..." ] [ "Living in the Rear View Mirror: From Substance Abuse to a Life of Substance" ] [ "Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery " ] [ "New From the Inside Out: How to Transform Your Mind and Your Life" ] [ "Once Life Matters:  A New Beginning" ] [ "Our Lives in Recovery" ] [ "Pathway to Serenity: Overcoming Spiritual Bankruptcy" ] [ "Please Make Me Cry" ] [ Prison Ministry Books at Amazon.com ] [ "Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life" ] [ "Radical Redemption: The Real Story of Manny Mill" ] [ "Reflections of Life: Through the Eyes of a Convict" ] [ "Reflections Through The Window" ] [ "Save Me From Myself" ] [ "Serving Productive Time" ] [ "Serving Time, Serving Others" ] [ "Speaking of Sin: The Lost Language of Salvation" ] [ "Stay Close: A Mother's Story of Her Son's Addiction " ] [ "Straw: Finding My Way" ] [ Teen Challenge Ministry - Testimony Books ] [ "The Caper: The Monty Lewis Story" ] [ "The Captivity Series, the Key to Your Expected End" ] [ "The Cross and the .357 Magnum" ] [ "The Good, the Bad and the Forgiven" ] [ "The Hoodlum Preacher" ] [ "The Last Chapter in the Life of Mrs. Sammy Davis, Jr." ] [ "The Lord Looseth the Prisoner" ] [ "The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism Is Seducing America" ] [ "The Prodigal Son- From Dope Dealer to Hope Dealer" ] [ "The Son is Shining" ] [ "The Unseen Presence" ] [ "The Unusual Suspect" ] [ "Things I Learnred While Riding Mules" ] [ "Too Mean To Die" ] [ "Twice Broken - Once Healed" ] [ "Twice Pardoned: An Ex-Con Talks to Parents and Teens" ] [ "Unmasked: One Soul's Journey from Anonymity to Identity" ] [ "What is Jail, Mommy? ] [ "You Are Never Alone" ] [ "Your Cry Have Been Heard" ] 

 

© Copyright 2000-2009 by Marty Angelo Ministries. All Rights Reserved

The mission of Marty Angelo Ministries is proclaiming and teaching the gospel of the kingdom of God to prisoners, substance abuse recovery program clients, and troubled celebrities. The ministry utilizes life-changing books, evangelistic outreaches, and follow-up resources.

* Home * Book Information * Biography * Resource Links * Celebrity Outreach * News * Contact * Site Map *