“Freddy B: My Last Encounter with the Law Got Me a Trip for a One-Year Stay at a Department of Corrections Facility” by Yvonne Stevens Walton Harris is highly praised by the US Review of Books because it is “written in compelling and evocative prose”

Yvonne Stevens Walton Harris and her husband, Frederick Harris, reside in the suburbs of Indianapolis, Indiana. Mrs. Harris holds an associate degree in Business Administration from the University of Indianapolis and a bachelor’s degree in General Studies from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. She has won a prestigious award for her writing from the Department of Afro Studies at IUPUI, and she is a lifetime Gamma Phi Delta sorority sister in good standing. Dedicated to her spiritual home at Eastside Baptist Church since 1960, Mrs. Harris is the President of the Nurses Ministry at Eastside and Secretary of the Monthly Nurses Union District meetings. She is a retired substitute teacher for the Washington Township Public School System, and she continues to be an advocate for all children.

“There are consequences to your actions in life”, the author hopes that this book will help young men and women realize. She hopes that this book will help her son’s ministry, which is continuing to serve others. His struggle may make parents understand how important it is, no matter how challenging, to find a method to break through the wall of silence that teens frequently experience when they believe their parents do not understand.

Michelle Jacobs from the US Review of Books applauded Yvonne Stevens Walton Harris’ book, “Freddy B: My Last Encounter with the Law Got Me a Trip for a One-Year Stay at a Department of Corrections Facility”, stating that it’s “written in compelling and evocative prose, the real and raw voice of Freddy Harris chronicles his feelings and experiences throughout his young life. He reflects on his childhood, family relationships, and criminal acts that land him in the detention center.” 

The author has compiled her son’s poetry, journals, and essays that he either wrote for his college courses or while he was a teenage detainee at a juvenile detention facility as a homage to her son. She shares the thoughts and insights of her beloved Freddy as he writes honestly and movingly about his turbulent life, as she grieves for the loss of her son and seeks comfort in helping others.

In the end, Mrs. Harris wants to teach her son’s words the lesson that choices have repercussions. She also thinks Freddy’s essays can inspire parents who are dealing with troublesome teenagers to keep trying to connect with and understand their children, regardless of the circumstances.

Here’s an excerpt from the US Review of Books that highlights:

“He also vividly describes his life inside the detention center as he encounters authority figures and other inmates. The journal entries include responses and feedback from his counselor-teacher, who clearly sees the best in Freddy and encourages him every step of his journey to find a better life. This powerful collection of writings offers an honest portrayal of a young man struggling to find his way through his bad decisions and circumstances to a second chance. Fearless in his willingness to analyze his life, Freddy doesn’t flinch from the reality of his situation. He keeps writing and hoping, working his way through to a new day of freedom.”