27 Summers: My Journey to Freedom, Forgiveness, and Redemption During My Time in Angola Prison

Written by Ronald Olivier and Craig Borlase

Narrated by Guy Branche

In one of America's most notorious prisons, a young man sentenced to life without parole miraculously found faith, forgiveness, redemption, and restoration. In 27 Summers Ronald Olivier shares his dramatic and powerful story and offers proof that God can bring healing and hope to even the darkest circumstances. 

As a teenager Ronald Olivier ran wild in the streets of New Orleans, selling drugs, stealing cars, and finally killing someone on what was supposed to be the happiest day of the year--Christmas Day. Facing the consequences of his crime, he remembered what his mother once said. "Baby, if you ever have real trouble, the kind that I can't get you out of, you can always call on Jesus." So he did.

Ron was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Through the agony of solitary confinement and multiple transfers into increasingly dangerous prison environments, Ron kept seeking God for healing and hope. Finally, after being locked up for twenty-seven summers at the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary--known as Angola--Ron was miraculously released. Remarkably, he became the director of chaplains at Mississippi State Penitentiary. Today, Ron loves to combat hopelessness, wherever he finds it, by saying, "Don't tell me what God can't do!”

Readers will 

• learn new insights about faith and patience from a man who spent almost three decades in a cruel and violent environment; 
• be encouraged, like Ron, to find grace and forgiveness to overcome the pain of their past; and 
• find hope that God can redeem and restore anyone. 

 

Ron's fascinating story brilliantly displays God's power to transform individuals, families, and communities, reminding us that there truly is nothing God can't do.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Nov 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9781400239184

Ronald Olivier

Ronald Olivier served twenty-seven summers in the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola. He was released in 2018, and became a client of the Louisiana Parole Project. In 2020, less than two years after leaving Angola, Ronald was hired as the director of chaplaincy at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. In 2023 Ronald returned to the Louisiana Parole Project as a client advocate, using his experience to guide other formerly incarcerated people toward successful careers and lives. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his wife and son.