From a portrait of Black life in New York in the 1960s and '70s to personal experiences with the crack epidemic of the 1980s, Johnnie Davis’ memoir unravels the story of one man's life marked by love and family, drugs and violence, and the hardships of navigating life while struggling with addiction. Davis's story is one of redemption. Though his addiction and problems with the law are a constant battle, and his redemption does not come soon enough for his mother to witness it, it is that loss that eventually helps Davis to get clean and work toward a better life, a life that would make his mother proud.