To outsiders, Larry Owen Azlin was a drug-addicted criminal who defied societal rules and norms. But to authors Shirley Anne McMurray and Melinda Leigh Alkire, he was the man they called Daddy. In this memoir, these sisters paint a picture of their life with their father and mother-a life marked by crime, drugs, police busts, and shootings in the ghettos of Fresno, California.


Breaking the Chain provides a glimpse into the life of children with parents who struggle with addiction and the impact the criminal justice system leaves on them. McMurray and Alkire share the details of what life was like with their father before drugs engulfed his mind, body, and soul. It also narrates the grim stories of his drug-addicted machinations, his prison incarceration with the California Department of Corrections, and his failed attempts at reform.



Recalling both the heartaches and the joys, Breaking the Chain provides a unique perspective of their unusual upbringing. They provide testimony that there is hope for the future.