I Was You: A Message For At-Risk Youth

By Jonah Sanders

This book is for the youth who is going down the wrong path; the youth who feels that he or she is lost. In this book the young reader will read about the life of the author as to how he made some of the same bad decisions that you are making and what it leads to. The reader will also learn about ways to better themselves and to break away from negativity and be positive young men and women.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jonah Sanders
• Release date: Oct 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223849841

Jonah Sanders

Jonah Sanders is the founder of The Urban Law School, The Jonah Sanders Foundation and Black Genius Academy. A educator and motivator he continues to bring change to the world.

Book preview

I Was You: A Message For At-Risk Youth

Jonah Sanders

Published by Jonah Sanders, 2023.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

I WAS YOU: A MESSAGE FOR AT-RISK YOUTH

First edition. October 30, 2023.

Copyright © 2023 Jonah Sanders.

ISBN: 979-8223849841

Written by Jonah Sanders.

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Watch for more at Jonah Sanders’s site.

I Was You: A Message For At-Risk Youth

By Jonah Sanders

I Was You:

A Message for At- Risk Youth

© Copyright 2023 Jonah Sanders.

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, including photocopying, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the written consent of the publisher.

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Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I give praise to God above. It doesn’t matter which name you use for Him it is still the same for He is the creator of us all. The most important person to this work and who deserves the highest praise only secondary to God is that of my partner and best friend, Telesha Cutler.

Dedication

This book is for the victims from my case. There is no way that I can simpy apologize thus hopefully this book helps others from commiting crimes.

Forward

This book in which I intend to open the eyes of the youth who is at risk of giving his or her life to the system or possibly death was extreme-ly difficult to write at first for I honestly reflect on my life; all the pain and idiotic things I’ve done. Then I’ve written this with the understand-ing that there technically hasn’t been a book of its sort some before. True, there have been books on prison and some even about or even targeting youth, get those books usually are for sale or religious in nature. With that in mind I left the best way to present my stance is to simply be hon-est. I was an at-risk youth. I am from a poverty-stricken environment. I am someone who has been around all the gangs and violence. I am some-one who got lost in the system. with that alone I understand the youth who is reading this because I was you. This book isn’t written by someone who can’t relate to you nor who is getting paid to do so. I wrote this book because I don’t want anyone to have to come to this environment. But not just that: I’ve thought about the victims in my case and did a role re-versal and it wasn’t nice. Therefore, I also write this to ensure that crimes I’ve done don’t happen to good people. For if I stated I apologize would that be enough? In my eyes it wouldn’t if I never showed change and a way to legitimize it. For the youth who just doesn’t catch on you will be-come a slave. Yes, a slave. For under the 13th Amendment, it clearly states that those who commit crimes and are convicted will become slaves to their states as punishment. So, if you want to sell some weed be ready to do those ten years – minimum. Oh, it’s real.

-Jonah Sanders

Table of Contents

THE CRIME & BEFORE

Being Arrested & Taken to the County Jail

Reflections On The Past

Being Convicted

Diagnostics

Prison Beginnings

Violence

Loneliness

Breaking Chains

Building Morale and Character: The Key to Success and Fulfillment

The Power of Reflection: Unleashing the Benefits of Taking Time to Think

Unlocking Your Potential: Preparing Yourself for a Successful Future

Embracing Reality: The Power of Acceptance in Finding Inner Peace

About The Author

THE CRIME & BEFORE

The value of a thing sometimes lies not in what one attains with it but in what one pays for it - what it cost us." -Friedrich Nietzsche

The actual date of my crime was July 7th, 2004, but with the inten-tion of painting a clear picture of my mind state and overall situation, I’ll begin with the day previous. So, on July 6th, 2004, I was laying on the tan carpet of an abandoned apartment in a complex on Roswell Road in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Between eating sunflower seeds and oatmeal pies, I was trying to formulate a plan to come up out of the hole that I had fell into. With me just getting out of county jail for a frivol burglary charge, I was flat broke, frightened, and pissed off at myself. I wondered how I had gone from being on a high horse to... Nothing. Maybe I was just delusional with my reality.

With my back sore from the hard floor, I sat up and looked around the empty apartment. The only things that were in the room with me were a few items that I had stolen from one of the houses from around the corner: a small television, DVD player, and a tote bag. Entertainment ruled my every minute; odd how I even entertained myself at my lowest. Sick of eating sunflower seeds, my stomach rumbled for some real food. If I’m not mistaken, I had eaten a hamburger the day before, but that would have been it except for traditional junk food. Rising to my feet, I stalked back couldn’t forth trying to think of something that I could do to get some money. Then, I wasn’t looking for a bunch of it either, just enough to get a meal.

I knew a few people I could have gotten some drugs from, but my heart couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t want to destroy someone else’s life like that. I can remember looking into this one junkie’s eyes and seeing a void that scared me, it was as if she didn’t even have a soul, as if she was one of the walking dead that are depicted in zombie movies. I could tell that she was once beautiful, but the drugs had destroyed her. Starring in-to her eyes, all I could see was pain and humiliation. So, of course drugs were definitely out of the equation for me.

Pacing back and forth I tried to think