Forty to Life

By Dave Jackson

Book Overview

Provoked by a gang leader into the shooting of an innocent guy, Ray now faces a 40-year sentence in prison. Just when he's resigned himself to this new existence, Ray receives an unexpected gift - forgiveness. And then the ultimate test comes. When faced with the man who ruined his life, can Ray extend the same forgiveness handed out to him?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764203231
• ISBN13: 9780764203237
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
• Length: 331 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Real Life Urban Fiction

Review: Raymond Slewinski age 14, starts out to prove to a gang leader that he is a man not a chicken. But Ray doesn't expect the feelings he has and see what he does after the gun in his hand goes off. Everything seemed in slow motion to Ray as he watched the blood spray out of the young man's chest and see his skin turn blue. All of a sudden Ray realizes he just shot someone he goes to school with. What had he done? Was Greg going to die? Ray had to get out of there. Shooting someone in "real" life was very different than shooting a guy in a video game. The person you shot doesn't come back to life. You can't have a do over!! The game is over for good. Ray's world is crumbling fast. He is on the fast track to prison. How did the police find him so fast? There was no get out of jail card in his future. Ray gets arrested and stays in a juvenile detention center until his case comes to trial. Things aren't so bad there. He hears bad things about the adult prisons. By the time his case comes to trial he will be considered an adult. He is haunted by this message in his head "You do the crime, you do the time? He knew that was the way society worked, but some how, even 1 ½ years after pulling the trigger, Ray still had not been able to accept that he actually murdered someone. A murderer? How could this be?" He thought he wasn't that bad. This was his first offense. How had things gone so wrong? While Ray is serving his sentence in adult prison he learns that he could have a second chance at a productive life; even in prison. His cell mate tells him "A guy can turn around if he wants to. God does forgive" Ray soon discovers forgiveness is not a feeling but a choice. A choice he could make that would change his life forever - hadn't Greg's mom forgiven him? I never really thought about the big differences in juvenile detention centers and adult prisons. Dave is descriptive but not really graphic. I didn't give much thought to the whole legal system and politics that go on before and during a trial until I read this book. Dave does set the mood and creates the heaviness within the adult prison walls effectively. Ray Slewinski is not a perfect kid and slips up many times even in prison. I found myself getting frustrated with Ray and his decisions. I wanted to say to him "Haven't you learned anything?" But I soon realized that my Heavenly Father has probably looked down at me and wanted to say the very same thing. It's the choices I make every day that bring me Life or Death. My Choices help me get Closer to my Abba Daddy or I can completely turn my back on Him. He still loves me and is waiting with open arms for my return. I'm so glad our Heavenly Father is patient with me; He shows me kindness, love and mercy when I don't deserve it. This is the essence of the story. "He Came to Pay a Debt He Didn't Owe Because I owed a Debt I Couldn't Pay." I'm glad that God is God and I am not!! This is a powerful story. Nora St.Laurent B

I'm not a religious guy.

We all have a history very similar Ray's. Not with the same choices thrust upon us and not with the same consequences, but there comes a time when we look upon our past and recognize we are not where we want to be. The author has it right. Some time and in some way, you have to get your life organized. Like Kris Kristofferson sings; "... some morning when I'm straight." Getting straight does not come easily and in most cases we fail more than once before we are even close. I was 40 when I started trying. I am now 62 with a terminal illness and I do not have a sense of surety yet. All I know is I just keep trying. I will persevere to the end. Reading a story like this, even though it is a novel, gives one strength to take the next step in a positive direction.

Forty to Life

This captavating novel was by far compelling to the reader. You entered a world of a young boy named, Ray Slewinski and his life in Chicago, both on the streets and in the Correctional facilities of Chicago. The author Jackson uses great dynamics throughout the novel which keeps the reader coming back for more. It is a well written life lesson of reality in the life of a juvenile who gets caught up in the street life, but realizes the gift of forgiveness can become the gift of freedom. Oustanding novel and highly recommended.

An engaging, good read

A captivating story of a young gang-banger going through the Illinois juvenile and adult correctional system. From the initial gruesome crime, through the arrest, trial and incarceration and release of Ray Slewinski, the reader is seduced to keep reading to learn what scrape, good fortune and challenge Ray will face next. The episodes within the correctional system and pressures of gangs within illustrate how difficult it is for inmates, and Ray in particular, to stay out of trouble while in prison. Woven into these events is the story of Ray "getting religion" and experiencing and learning to exercise the Christian message of forgiveness. Jackson tells this moving tale with a style accessible to a wide audience, youth to adult, believers and non-believers. Highly recommended

Timely, Informative, Powerful Writing

From the first sentence of the prologue to the final line of the epilogue I was drawn into the drama of Raymond Slewinski's story "Forty to Life." In this fictional account Dave Jackson has captured the heartbeat of living on the perimeter of Chicago's inner city. Jackson's genuine concern for juveniles caught up in gang violence and codes of loyalty gives credence to the authenticity of his writing. David's writing is strong and powerful. "His tears were gone, wrung out of him by the hopelessness of his situation, dried up by the shock of what he had done, numbed by a clock whose hands he could not turn back...tomorrow would begin his new life as an inmate, a convict, a murderer." David has gained insight into the Juvenile Justice System through his own experience as a volunteer in the Juvenile Justice Ministry in Metro Chicago. To validate the justice system background material introduced throughout the story Jackson collaborated with professional and volunteer staff at the Cook County Detention Center. He consulted a gang intervention specialist, a mental health therapist, and others in the Illinois Department of Corrections. This is a dramatic story of God's pardon and forgiveness. It is a story of unconditional love and second chances. Through Raymond's plight and the conflicts he faced, Jackson describes the reality of the challenges that kids are faced with today, whether in Chicago's inner city or in suburban America. "Forty to Life" is timely, informative, authentic and redemptive. David Jackson's writing is strong and powerful. This is an important book for anyone in crisis, needing forgiveness, or looking for a second chance.