by Nathan Hill
First published 2017
Nate Hill works as a mechanic and truck driver, dreaming of becoming a lawyer. Poverty blocks his path to law school. He turns to drug dealing to lift his family from their circumstances. Hill builds a cocaine empire while maintaining other businesses and charitable work. He races cars and navigates multiple relationships before finding his wife. The DEA closes in as his operation grows. Hill faces arrest and trial for murder and drug distribution. The court sentences him to life in prison for crimes he claims he never committed. From his cell, Hill reflects on the choices that led him here. He writes to warn young people in similar situations that other paths exist beyond street life. His story moves from the garage where he fixed engines to the courtroom where judges sealed his fate. Hill argues the system failed him twice, first by denying him legitimate opportunities, then by convicting him unjustly. His memoir serves as both confession and cautionary tale about the price of playing the only hand poverty dealt him.
Genres: fiction, drama, crime, memoir
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: cautionary-tale, confession, unjust-conviction
Setting: Courtroom, Garage
Period: Present Day
190 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Content warnings: addiction, drug-use, murder