The fierce and affecting memoir of a convicted murderer, whose growing self-awareness enables him to understand his crime and achieve redemption. In 1980, Kenneth Hartman murdered a homeless man in a Los Angeles park after a drug-fueled binge. Sentenced to life without parole by the state of California, Hartman was soon considered a potent force by the system's most brutal convicts. To the hellish chaos of a maximum-security prison he brought his...
Kenneth Hartman killed a homeless California man for no reason at age 19, in 1980. It was not his first problem with the law. Caught within 24 hours, he was sentenced to life without parole (LWOP). Since he was 16, Hartman has been out 86 days - hence the book's name "Mother California." Hartman calls his sentence 'the other death penalty,' 'infinite meaninglessness.' He also asserts that most prisoners are poorly educated,...
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I recieved the book in a timely fashion and it was in exelent quality, and an exelent reader. Thank you.
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Kenneth E. Hartman is a masterful writer, bringing us into his world. His memoir is intense. We're pleased to have an uplifting story (Seeking Peace) by Kenneth in our latest book "Serving Productive Time." - Tom Lagana, co-author "Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul," "Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul," "Serving Productive Time," and "Serving Time, Serving Others." Serving Productive Time: Stories, Poems, and Tips...
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I work in a prison, and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about a dark part of life that most people in the public know little about. The book is more than just a story of one man's life behind bars; it speaks to the unfortunate circumstances in which the State of California finds itself. Kenneth Hartman gives a very balanced view of the prison environment. He does not apologize for his life circumstances,...
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I've read quite a few prison memoirs and this is up there with the best in the class. Kenneth Hartman tells most of his life story in this book (and in doing so he makes a great case for doing away with the harsh U.S. sentencing guidelines). This is a personal book but it moves the reader to get involved in some type of prison reform. He writes in a straightforward and gripping manner. I finished this book in two days and...
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