Another View Bookshelf
JM Benjamin: Journey to Redemption

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 6:30 pm;
Rebroadcast Friday, January 18 at 11:30 pm

On this Bookshelf edition of Another View the compelling life of author JM Benjamin is profiled.

Benjamin grew up in the Second Street projects in Plainfield, New Jersey and saw the drug trade up-close and personal through his father and relatives. He began selling drugs at the age of 12, building a reputation as the 'go to' guy for crack cocaine. After spending a total of 12 years in prison, he now makes a living selling urban fiction based on his experiences in the drug trade.

It was a prison counselor at Fort Dix who encouraged Benjamin to write, giving him a journal where 400 pages of words flowed freely. With a new hustle, by the time he was released from prison, Benjamin authored "Down in the Dirty," and his name soon became popular in the 'free' world. Now, some 15,000 copies sold and two books later, the drug dealer turned author and publisher, shares his compelling story with Another View, about how he never writes a book where the bad guy gets away and how he almost lost his soul before his journey to redemption.