Chris "Champ" Napier was only four years old when he witnessed his father's murder. By the time he
was thirteen, Napier had lived in seven different homes in
seven different ghettos. Biologically and socially, he was
raised in a pool of piranhas, barbarians, and sharks. At
eighteen, Napier was convicted of killing a man and was sent
to prison.
This memoir narrates Napier's story as
he navigates a childhood of poverty in Prichard, Alabama;
serves more than a decade and a half in prison; and
transforms his life by becoming Muslim and devoting his life
to Allah.
We were so broke I had to eat dry
saltine crackers or ketchup sandwiches with the end parts of
the bread and drink sugar water, when we didn't have
kool-aid. These times were hard for us. ... I can recall a lot
of times on the weekend that someone from the club or from
somewhere would burglarize our house and we would have to
play like we were asleep until they left. The only thing
they could not steal was a small black and white TV and
portable radio.