Lessons of Redemption tells the story of Kevin Shird's life from his time on the tough streets of Baltimore City, through his several years in federal prison, to rebirth as a renowned community leader, championing substance abuse prevention and helping children of addicted parents.
Kevin was inspired to write this book because of his own personal transformation into manhood and to give hope to others who are confronted with the same choices. "I want people to know that you don't have to be defined by your mistakes. You can turn your life around and become a positive member in society. I did," says Shird.
Lesson of Redemption is a raw, uncensored glimpse into a way of life that claims many youth in urban communities. Former Baltimore Sun Newspaper Writer and Journalist Gregory Kane said, "Readers might want to strap on their seat belts before reading Kevin Shird's book. He gives us a detailed, exciting portrait of what life is really like on Baltimore's streets. David Simon only wrote about 'The Wire.' Shird lived it."
Though his memoir is an action-packed real-life thriller, Kevin is partnering with Baltimore-area universities and community organizations to use his story as a tool and resource for understanding the perspective of youth in similar circumstances and for planning more effective interventions to break the cycle.
Key points:
Kevin Shird is originally from Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States.
The heroin trade in Baltimore has flourished for decades. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency states that Baltimore has the highest per capita heroin addiction rate in the country. It's also been reported that there were 303 overdose deaths in Baltimore during 2014
He got involved in crime at 16 and served almost 12 years in a federal prison where he reformed his life.
Drug abuse was in Shird’s family - Letters of Redemption opens with a memory from Spring 1992. Shird enters a house to see his Uncle Rob with a syringe stuck in his neck. He had just injected himself with two bags of heroin that Shird’s crew had given him. He describes him as “a man ravished by the disease of drug addiction, teetering on the brink of self-annihilation.” Shird describes how his uncle had been caught in the drug world for decades. Whenever he had a new product to test before it hit the streets, his uncle was who he consulted. He then goes on to describe how his uncle injects another drug dealer. “His hands began to quiver and his legs to jerk as he reacted to the prohibited cocktail.”
The HBO hit series The Wire was based on life among drug dealers in Baltimore – the world in which Kevin grew up. David Simon, creator of The Wire, consulted a lot with Kevin when writing the series. Characters in The Wire are largely based on the people Kevin knew
He grew up in a very poor household with no father, and hence no male role model to steer him on to the right path: Most kids aren’t running around saying to themselves, ‘I want to be a drug dealer one day.’ The decision to travel down that road is more complicated than most people understand. I wanted to be a football player, I wanted to be a fireman, I even thought about becoming a lawyer. I wanted to be all the things that society believed in, trusted and admired. If I had ever said, ‘I want to be a drug dealer when I get older,’ within hearing distance of anyone in my family, I would be knocked in the head with a bag of common sense. I’ve even met hustlers who would tell you, ‘Listen, kid, you don’t want to get involved in that stuff. Become a musician, or anything else but a drug dealer.’
As with many kids growing up in poverty, wishing to have nice things can be their initial pathway in to crime: My original scheme in those days was to make just enough money to buy a fresh pair of Air Jordans which seemed worth risking life and limb for. If you owned a pair of Jordans, you were somebody even if you felt like you were nobody. Those of us spiraling in the cycle of poverty craved expensive shiny symbols to feel important; it was the psychological boost that freed the soul. Eventually I hated the dysfunction of the hustle and all the pain the game had to offer.
He remembers his first drug deal – his customer nearly died: I still remember the first time I sold a bag of "boy" (heroin) in West Baltimore. The product I sold was raw and uncut, and it had the impact of a nuclear bomb. I was mesmerized by the power of the narcotics business and its profits. The reaction of the addict who injected the deadly mix was remarkable to this young teenage kid, then things got scary fast. The guy who purchased my first package overdosed, and suddenly he was out cold laying on the floor unconscious. His body was seized by the strength of the illegal opiate. Fortunately, several others came to his rescue and revived the poor man who could have died; lucky for him — and lucky for me.
