Shaka Senghor

New York Times "Bestseller In 1991, Shaka Senghor was sent to prison for second-degree murder. Today, he is a lecturer at universities, a leading voice on criminal justice reform, andaninspiration to thousands. In life, it's not how you start that matters. It's how you finish. Shaka Senghor was raised in a middle class neighborhood on Detroit s east side during the height of the 1980s crack epidemic. An honor roll student and a natural leader, he dreamed of becoming a doctor but at age 11, his parents' marriage began to unravel, and the beatings from his mother worsened, sending him on a downward spiral that saw him run away from home, turn to drug dealing to survive, and end up in prison for murder at the age of 19, fuming with anger and despair. "Writing My Wrongs" is the story of what came next. During his nineteen-year incarceration, seven of which were spent in solitary confinement, Senghor discovered literature, meditation, self-examination, and the kindness of others tools he used to confront the demons of his past, forgive the people who hurt him, and begin atoning for the wrongs he had committed. Upon his release at age thirty-eight, Senghor became an activist and mentor to young men and women facing circumstances like his. His work in the community and the courage to share his story led him to fellowships at the MIT Media Lab and the Kellogg Foundation and invitations to speak at events like TED and the Aspen Ideas Festival. In equal turns, "Writing My Wrongs" is a page-turning portrait of life in the shadow of poverty, violence, and fear; an unforgettable story of redemption, reminding us that our worst deeds don t define us; and a compelling witness to our country s need for rethinking its approach to crime, prison, and the men and women sent there."From the Hardcover edition."

The New York Times bestselling author of Writing My Wrongs invites men everywhere on a journey of honesty and healing through this book of moving letters to his sons—one whom he is raising and the other whose childhood took place during Senghor's nineteen-year incarceration. “A visceral and visual journey for the ages . . . the perfect road map for us to remove the barriers and obstacles against our true feelings.”—Kenya Barris, creator of black-ishONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022— EssenceShaka Senghor has lived the life of two fathers. With his first son, Jay, born shortly after Senghor was incarcerated for second-degree murder, he experienced the regret of his own mistakes and the disconnection caused by a society that sees Black lives as disposable. With his second, Sekou, born after Senghor's release, he has experienced healing, transformation, intimacy, and the possibilities of a world where men and boys can openly show one another affection, support, and love.In this collection of beautifully written letters to Jay and Sekou, Senghor traces his journey as a Black man in America and unpacks the toxic and misguided messages about masculinity, mental health, love, and success that boys learn from an early age. He issues a passionate call to all fathers and sons—fathers who don't know how to show their sons love, sons who are navigating a fatherless world, boys who have been forced to grow up before their time—to cultivate positive relationships with other men, seek healing, tend to mental health, grow from pain, and rewrite the story that has been told about them.Letters to the Sons of Society is a soulful examination of the bond between father and sons, and a touchstone for anyone seeking a kinder, more just world.

We all have hidden prisons—grief, anger, shame, trauma, self-doubt. But these prisons have doors. Drawing from his extraordinary journey from incarceration to New York Times bestselling author, resilience expert, and entrepreneur, Shaka Senghor reveals the mindset and proven practices that transformed his life—and can help anyone achieve their wildest dreams.When Shaka received his second parole denial after 18 years behind bars, he had a choice to make: surrender to despair or transform himself from within.He chose hope.And when he did, he realized his greatest barriers existed within his own mind—past narratives, survivor's remorse, fear, and the inability to forgive. This awakening led him to discover universal truths about freedom that apply far beyond prison walls and transform every aspect of life—from deepening our relationships to achieving career success.Through raw and powerful storytelling, Shaka reveals how we all grapple with invisible chains that hold us back. Drawing from profound lessons learned along his remarkable journey from solitary to the C-suite, he provides more than inspiration—he delivers a proven roadmap for transformation.Using daily practices like journaling, meditation, mindfulness, and creative expression, you'll turn your vision into action, discovering how to break free from whatever holds you back so you can step into your true potential.How To Be Free is your invitation to embrace joy, reclaim your narrative, and unlock the doors to the life you deserve.

Crack follows lead homicide detective Devon Jensen through the grimy streets of Detroit’s underworld. Fresh from a stint down in Atlanta, Detective Jensen returns home only to be hurled into a world of chaos when he is forced to solve the murder of a childhood friend. As the body count increases, and the bullets begin to fly in his direction, Detective Jensen begins to realize that he may be in way over his head. As he investigates the link between his childhood friend, who was the Vice President of a Mercedes Benz dealership, and two rival drug families, he finds himself fighting to save his own life and the life of the woman he has grown to love. The leader of a family trio of dealers, Damu is a ruthless dealer who will stop at nothing to take over the streets of Detroit. His nemesis, Dominguez Santiago, is a cold-hearted killer who refuses to rest until his brother’s murderer is identified and executed. The closer Detective Jensen gets to the link between his childhood friend and the possible killers, the deadlier the game becomes. When the smoke clears, Detective Jensen and the rival drug families are all in for a shock when they find out the identity of the person responsible for the relentless assault on drug dealers across the city. Crack is a fast-paced trip through the ultra violent inner-city drug trade where pipe dreams go up in smoke.

In " Volume 2," Detective Jensen is thrown head first into the volatile world of prison politics. Ordered to go undercover inside the Willie Lynch Prison Complex, Detective Jensen sets out to solve a string of murders with links to an old nemesis. The closer he comes to solving the murders, the more he realizes that his life and the life of the woman he loves is in grave danger.A massacre inside of Great Minds Studio pulls Damu back into the blood-soaked streets of Detroit. While he fights to hold his family together, he comes face to face with the ultimate betrayal. The violence of his past and uncertainty of his future threatens his sanity as he is embroiled in a war that spills over onto the prison yard.In this sequel filled with violence, greed and deceit, the only thing that stands the test of time is loyalty and the unbreakable bonds of family love.

Live In Peace: A Youth Guide to Turning Hurt into Hope was born out of mentor and motivational speaker Shaka Senghor’s experience as a mentor and big homie to many misguided and angry youth who, like him, had been victims and perpetrators of gun violence but had not adequately dealt with the trauma of their experiences. It was through journaling that he discovered he had a lot of emotional trauma that he had failed to process in a healthy way. “When I realized what I was experiencing, I had an ‘aha’ moment and recognized that there were other young men and women in our community going through the same thing, and ultimately, this unprocessed emotinal trauma was at the root of the violence we see... It was after seeing the power of writing on my own transformation that I decided to use literature as a tool of change and help other youth transform their lives.”