Book excerpt: Drugs, gangs, crime, doing time. Vincent Lillie desperately wanted to escape the cycle that was slowly killing him, and the first step was leaving the very gang he had depended on for love and acceptance. The price for escape? A beating so brutal, many don’t survive. The story of Vincent’s life starts with the destruction of his family at the hands of his father’s sexual abuse, worsens with his school’s discriminatory segregation of him, and deteriorates further with every drug he does, every crime he commits, and each of his incarcerations. With his three brothers stuck in the same cycle, Vincent’s lowest point of addiction came to attempted suicide—twice. But fate had other plans for him. At times heartbreaking and at others breathtaking, Vincent’s true story will give you faith in humanity and prove the strength of the human spirit. His slow but steady road to recovery through sheer willpower and determination led him to become a mentor and speaker, motivating kids and adults to become the best version of themselves, and stopping those who are troubled from following in his footsteps. His is an unforgettable story of burning to ashes and rising from them better than ever before—one step at a time. A raw and honest memoir that will give you hope. FOREWORD BY MITCH BOURBONNIERE, Director of Service, Ogijiita Pimatiswin Kinamatwin (OPK), working with Winnipeg’s most vulnerable people who suffer with homelessness, post traumatic stress, addiction, mental health issues, domestic violence, gang involvement, and sexual exploitation.