Felon

By M.M. Butler

"Felon" is the harrowing memoir of one man's journey beginning with his childhood in a blue-collar, dysfunctional family. He falls into heroin addiction, becomes a convict, and then triumphs over his past by earning a Bachelor's degree in Science. M.M. Butler's journey is emblematic of the modern American experience. Along the way we see tension fraught encounters with family members, law enforcement, major political figures, and the Maryland Prison System.

"Felon" is a real life story of one man overcoming the challenges of drug addiction, imprisonment, and poverty. It depicts one version of the American Dream— that one man can succeed no matter the adversity he faces.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Feb 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098345976

Book preview

Conclusion

Introduction

First, I would like to say that if you believe any type of anti-social behavior is a disease then this book isn’t for you. Take the book back and get a full refund. You will need the money. Diabetes is a disease. Nobody chooses to be diabetic. Choosing to take any type of mind-altering substance is exactly that; it is a choice. If you choose to ride the pity train and participate in the Recovery business then you might be doomed to failure. If you covet and or embrace anything then it will be yours and you might be nothing more than somebody’s boat payment. Also, if you don’t believe there is more to the Universe than the material, take this book back. Rather than waste your time with critique stop here. I am not a fan of organized religion but I am Spiritual. The material in this book will reflect that.

It’s easy to cut and paste the thoughts and actions of others into our own persona and mostly we have to in order to survive. Just don’t follow the herd over the cliff. Spirit gave us freedom of choice and it is not our place to judge the choices of others. The Creator didn’t give us freedom of choice just to punish us for using it. Spirit gave us freedom of choice to express Love and allow us to be free. Your ride isn’t their ride. Their ride isn’t your ride.

Dedications

To my daughter Heather I dedicate much of this book. Because of a broken marriage and the baggage that comes with it, she had to overcome many of life’s horrors and much of the pain and misfortune that I overcame. Her evolvement was sometimes with me but mostly without me or anybody for that matter. She is truly a Life Warrior and the most awesome parent I have ever known. She hung out with some Native Americans and became a Shaman. Heather has opened my eyes to many truths. Her and her children are truly a Light at the end of many tunnels. I could not be prouder of everything her and my grandchildren have become.

To Bonnie my step-daughter who also suffered the detriments of broken marriages. She also struggled through most of her early life only to have it taken by cancer later on. She was my wife’s only daughter and Bernadette has never overcome the pain of losing her. This might have triggered her own disability now, severe memory problems. I’m pretty much a care giver at this point. But that is another book.

Alzheimer’s

On life’s Table there was a Beautiful Flowered Vase.

On it Hand painted friends, family, order and the current time and place.

Over time the legs on the table became weathered and worn.

The knit under the Vase became tattered and torn.

It became so unsteady and rattled, rolled and tipped.

The Vase fell into the air as if by life tripped.

It smashed on the floor but there wasn’t a sound.

It happened so quickly when we weren’t around.

Most of the pieces will never be found.

The pieces were scattered across our life’s floor.

Now there are locks up high on the doors.

She lives in the moment, quite a different place.

Gone are the baked goods, the candy and the lace.

We cannot piece together the Beautiful Flowered Vase.

To Richard Gilbert who allowed an unkept young man with a tooth missing to enter his Radiographer program.

To Deborah Kearney who helped me see my worth. She was without a doubt the most qualified yet most fun supervisor I ever had.

To Michael J. Reese who gave me chances like nobody ever had in my life and tolerated my idiosyncrasies like none other.

I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. It’s because of them I’m doing it myself. Albert Einstein

Blue Collar

To survive on my own, in my childhood surroundings, I had to portray myself as another person. I learned very early in my neighborhood that kind, and compassionate men are treated poorly. Anger and intimidation are the way. It was like being in a wolf pack. The rules from blue-collar, ethnic America were clear and understood by all. My mother was too irresponsible to provide love and guidance. My grandparents love, and direction didn’t extend past food and shelter. After all, they were my mother’s parents. I became involved with a group of children like myself who were also on their own. Hell, we had much fun as children. We did anything we wanted. We went anywhere we wanted. If we were in France, our parents would not have known as long as we were home when the street lights came on. As we grew into adolescence the social problems of our parents crept into our lives. The girls became pregnant with our children. Drugs and alcohol became a way of life and an avenue to escape the various physical and emotional abuses we all suffered. In our ignorance, we were creating another race of children like ourselves, like the urban ghettos of today. Our involvement with drugs brought us closer to the neighborhood criminals where the following comparisons existed. Picture this. I can make minimum wage working at Burger Chef where my identity was a greasy kid with a dirty white uniform, rubber boots, a paper hat and my first name printed clearly on my shirt. Then there is Michael. He grew up like me. He quit school like me. He has a new car. He is clean and has expensive clothes. The best-looking woman in the neighborhood is sitting in his car waiting for him. Michael had all the Blue-Collar Gold!

Michael liked me and took me under his wing. It is funny that a man so evil would be named Michael. This option was the first and the most significant poor