Publisher's Synopsis
Michael Alexander Cox has been an inmate in the Georgia Prison System since 2007. He, along with his two cousins, is serving a life sentence for a crime he did not commit. This is his gripping story told in the dialect he knows well and in accurately rendered dialogue. The story starts with the earliest of his childhood memories in a loving but struggling family, continues through his troubled teen years into early adulthood, and then follows the events that led to his arrest, trial, and imprisonment. The later chapters outline his legal struggles to obtain his release and vividly describe prison life and the strategies a prisoner must employ to simply have enough to eat and a few creature comforts. This journey is Michael's quest for freedom in three senses: physical freedom, freedom from addiction, and spiritual freedom. He is searching for a relationship with his God whom he believes has a purpose for him to fulfill as an Authentic Man, one who can take his place in the community as a respected businessman, a husband and father, and a mentor to other young men who have walked the same road. Michael has not walked this difficult road alone. Several have walked with him and tried to help. But all the way along, it has been his brave and faithful mother, Evelyn Ware Cox, who has never stopped trying to obtain his release as well that of her nephews. In 2019, Joan Doggrell joined the march as Michael's typist and editor. A few pieces published on the "Opinion" page of the Newnan Times Herald pointed out some of the gaping holes in the case brought against these young Black men, who were convicted despite strong alibis and the lack of physical evidence.This is a heart-breaking story of hope and disappointment, of missed opportunities, and the tragic waste of promising young lives. You will be anxiously awaiting the outcome in the sequel to follow.
