If you’re like me and were moved by Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, Ian Manuel’s story will serve as another beautiful reminder that “each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” Alongside his original poetry, Ian Manuel tells his story of being sentenced to life without parole for a crime he committed at 13 years old, and what followed. This book will shed light on some of the major changes that still need to be made in the American judicial system, but it also speaks of hope, forgiv...

If you have any illusions about our prison system being one of rehabilitation, Ian Manuel will break those ideas with his images of prison life in Florida. Confinement, made up incidents of non-compliance, stricter than societal behavior restrictions. As a 14 year old boy, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a non-homicidal crime committed at the instigation of older boys. He saved himself through writing poetry, imaging a life of love and fulfillment, seekin...

Having read Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, I was already aware of the institutional racism that is our current penal system and the injustices that are rampant. Reading My Time Will Come by Ian Manuel was so powerful, hearing his story, in his voice, in the face of this evilness that sought to eradicate his humanity. His ability to not be crushed and in fact to rise above it, is beyond moving and inspiring. His poetry, which is interspersed throughout the book clearly was an outlet for all that

3.5. Incredibly important and eye-opening. However, at times, slightly confusing and/or disjointed. What really killed it for me was the ending. 99% of the book is a build up to that moment we’re all waiting for…when he’s finally, finally released. And that moment takes place in one sentence, of one paragraph - that paragraph doesn’t even flow well from the previous or follow-up ones. Plus, we’re basically left there - perhaps there’s a 2nd book in the works? But the “next chapter” is what I was...

I will read all memoirs of people that had their lives changed by Bryan Stevenson.

I didn't particularly enjoy this book and I feel that a better editor might have made for a more enjoyable reading experience. While I learned a good bit about the wretched penal system in Florida and the incarceration of children, I found the book to be very tedious and a more than a little confusing in places. For me it was a bit hard to follow with regard to the time periods and the movement of the author from one prison to another. I continued to find myself frustrated by his refusal to lear...

Wow. Speechless.

Have you heard Ian Manuel’s story? I purchased the audiobook because he narrates it himself, and I both read and listened to this powerful book. If you’ve read Just Mercy or The Sun Does Shine, please don’t miss My Time Will Come.At 13 years old, Ian Manuel is living with his mom in Tampa, Florida, often homeless and in transition. He shoots a woman he’s attempting to rob, and ultimately is sentenced to life in prison at the age of fourteen. While in prison, he spends the majority of his sentenc...

I will read any and every memoir of someone who was helped by Bryan Stevenson. His book, Just Mercy, was one of my absolute favorite reads of 2020.I wanted to like this book more than I actually did; I thought it was great, but I wanted to be enraptured by it. There was a bit of a disconnect for me in some instances and I’m not sure why. I am so glad I listened to it though because the author reads it and to hear it from him was so powerful.

Finished. Thank you @pantheonbooks #partner for sending a copy of “My Time Will Come” by Ian Manuel. I got this book the other day and I instantly started it. I literally dropped the four other books that I was reading to read this memoir and I’m glad I did. This was a tough read but while reading this I began to see the importance and the power behind Manuel’s words. If you get a chance please pre-order this book, I highly recommend it. Ian Manuel’s memoir is out in May.

I was absolutely astonished while reading this book. Speechless. This is the true story of Ian Manuel, and his case. Manuel discusses the crime he committed as a 13 year old child, the environment that molded and shaped him, and how the US penal system swallows up our Black boys and men with a vengeance; hoping that they are no longer apart of society, forever. This book should not only enlighten you to Ian Manuel’s plight, but this book should open your eyes to the severity of treatment that is...

Another amazing story of perseverance and resilience connected to the Equal Justice Initiative. My friend, Tatiana Bertsch, helped secure Ian’s release, and I did not realize this until her name popped up about 2/3 of the way through the book. Then chills went down my spine because I remember eating dinner at Howley’s in December 2016 and seeing Ian and Tatiana walk in and eat together - just three short weeks after Ian’s release from prison. If you loved Just Mercy and The Sun Does Shine, you w...

| My Time Will Come: A Memoir of Crime, Punishment, Hope, and Redemption | Ian ManuelIn this unsparing memoir, Ian Manuel describes his experience as a juvenile prisoner who was sentenced to life in prison without parole at the age of 14. Manuel goes on to describes how he was blinded by his pain and how he was pressured into committing a crime by older boys. I’ve heard and read many, many stories like this, Black girls and boys who are sentenced to life in prison for nonhomicide crimes at a ver...

"My Time Will Come" by Ian Manuel is the true story of the author's decades long struggle to secure freedom from a lifetime prison sentence for a crime he committed as a young teenager. Manuel details the vicious nature of America's system of mass incarceration and provides just one story of the many teenagers who are sentenced to a life behind bars for crimes they committed at a young age. Manuel spends decades, mostly in solitary confinement, searching for any avenue that will prove that the l...

3.5 stars rounded up because at the end of the day I still love his story, I just got lost in the last parts of the book. So much moving from one prison to another to another and a lot of crammed information made it difficult to follow I was losing interest. But that doesn’t take away from the story and how Ian endured against all odds. If you loved Just Mercy and The Sun Does Shine I highly recommend this. Ian’s story stood out in Just Mercy and it was nice to read his poetry. I didn’t know muc...

I first read about Ian Manuel a few months ago when I read Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, so when the publisher reached out, I was definitely interested. I'm so glad tohave had the opportunity to read Ian's story.His experience in the criminal "justice" system was heartbreaking; no child should be sentenced to die in prison with no hope of rehabilitation or a hopeful future. It's evident from Ian's poetry that he's a bright man and it's unconscionable that his potential was dampe...

Ian Manuel's memoir was a quick, but not easy read. His story of incarceration includes abuse and straight up torture; much of it endured as a child. He reveals the corruption of the department of corrections and the dysfunctional legal system we have in our nation. While me and my homies already hate the prison system, this furthered my frustrations and disappointment. The most special parts of this memoir are Manuel's poetry and the incredible work that Equal Justice Initiative does. I also wa...

This book, by Ian Manuel, describes the major part of his life that he spent incarcerated. He writes with passion and strong emotion about the abuse he suffered during that time and how he was able to survive. His timeline was a little confusing at times, but that really didn't bother me. Thank goodness for Bryan Stevenson and the EJI team, or Ian would have surely continued to be tortured and eventually perished behind bars.

There are so many stories like Ian Manuel’s, and I’m glad he now has his freedom and the power to tell his story. The fact that Debbie Baigrie forgave him and fought for his freedom too, is so incredible and powerful. This story also got me thinking about the school to prison pipeline and how we need to do better for these kids. “None of us should be judged by only the worst thing we have ever done.” — Bryan Stevenson

After being forever changed by Bryan Stevenson's "Just Mercy" and Anthony Ray Hinton's "The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row," I knew I had to read this book. Anything with a connection to the Equal Justice Initiative has my full attention and wholehearted support. ***"The United States is the only country in the world that sentences thirteen- and fourteen-year-old offenders, mostly youth of color, to life in prison without parole, regardless of the scientifically proven...