True Notebooks

In an attempt to make the graveyard shift less painful I've taken to reading, my favorite subject being true crime stories, ironic I know.I believe the last book I picked up was "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt a few months ago, but I'm not sure if that even counts because I read that back in high school, and prior to my second reading of "Angela's Ashes" was the first installment of the "Harry Potter" series, that being said I was only able to make it through the first book as I don't have a large attention span for fantasy.


The first installment of my new "hobby" is a memoir by author Mark Salzman titled "True Notebooks". Salzman was a free lance writer whom had been previously nominated for a pulitzer prize, and through a friend was introduced to the world of juvenile hall. This juvenile detention facility was located in Los Angeles, the world capitol of juvenile gangs & violence. As a naive outsider, Salzman was predictibly intimidated and unprepared for what he was about to encounter. Invited to "shadow" in his friend's free writing program at the facility, his initial goal was to be able to finish his own novel, but Salzman ended up participating in his own free writing class in that same facility.





Written entirely on the authors memory, this memoir gives the reader insight to the mind of what many consider, a "throw away" member of society. The writing samples included are actual samples written by inmates, and are surpisingly well constructed and thought out. The memoir is a good example of the inner struggle the author was expieriencing, having to seperate the boys he "knew" from the crimes they've committed.


This book also raises the question, are these juveniles led to a life of crime and gangs because of "nature vs nurture" or are they genuinely just born "bad". I believe its a combination, most of the time, of the nature vs nature, even though I think it's rare, for someone to actually be inately "bad" from birth, but it could happen. The writing of the inmates reveals a life devoid of a father figure, or if he's present he's abusive or in one case the boy's parent's were killed in a car accident. Also being in the hub of gang land, these juveniles describe having to walk through gang territory in order to get home from school, these kids were involuntarily immeresed into gang activity. If a juvenile has no one to call "family" of their own, they're going to find the next closest thing, a gang. I'm not excusing the deeds of these young criminals, but just explaining the nature of the beast.


There are parts in the memoir where these young criminals come to realize the wrong in their actions, and show remorse for their crimes. In one instance a teenager got on his knees in front of the whole unit, to beg forgiveness to his victims brother (whom was also incarcerated). To "watch" the transformation in these boys is very rewarding to the reader, and I found this book to be a facinating look into the heart of America's delinquient youth.