Book excerpt: This inspirational book is the documented life of Nick Chandler, a man Determined to Change from the only life he knew, the street life; with goons, guns, drugs and money, to a new life as a role model to people struggling to survive child abuse, drug addictions, poverty and emotional pain and suffering. Born in Copeland Florida in 1961, Nicky Chandler lived a life that many people wouldn't have survived. The ninth of twelve children, his early childhood was one of poverty and abuse. Growing up in the sixties and seventies in the rough and rugged projects, he quickly became as ruthless as the hustlers, dope dealers and thugs who were his early idols. By the age of seventeen the Florida State Prison System would become more familiar to him than his family home. Surviving seven prison stays spanning twenty-two years, when realeased in January 2007, he was determined to end his self-destructive behavior that kept returning him to prison. With little to no resources or money he began a journey of self-discovery and healing leading him to confront the demons of his past and the uncertainty of his future. Determined to Change represents the life of a man, who against all odds, has survived, struggled and was victorious to find a new path for his life. Determined to Change reads like a fiction book, however, this true story gruesomely details Nicks life from early childhood to present day. This inspiring story gives readers hope for themselves or others who are also Determined to Change.