A Wretch Like Me: From Crack Addict to Change Agent by Beverly A. Black

"From Crack-Addict to Change-Agent," chronicles the 8 years I was addicted to crack cocaine; while struggling on the fierce streets of East Palo Alto, CA, once dubbed the murder capital of the world. By the grace of God, I now celebrate over twenty-four years of a Crack-Free life. I am FREE AT LAST! Everyone has a story to tell. The likelihood of someone else telling it for you is slim to none. I’ve wanted to tell my story for years, not only to free my soul, but to let people know that what happened to us in the 80’s when crack hit the neighborhood, was tragically by design, and no fault of our own. My story is about who I am, what I anticipated and learned out of life growing up with my family, the things that happened along the way, and how I overcame my personal trials through a personal savior. God saved a wretch like me, so I could tell a story like this. My personal story of tribulations, depression, sibling suicide, and being addicted to crack for eight years brings you up close and personal, for the first time in my publishing career, to illustrate how I got to here, from there. Struggling with a drug addiction unfamiliar to society is one thing; turning into a “crack-monsta,” is another. We misjudged crack’s menacing power and crippling affects. The whole town literally changed overnight. You were either sane or on that shit; not to be trusted! That’s how people witnessing our metamorphosis thought. How I ever made it out alive is truly a blessing from God. The town had become the murder capital of the world per capita, as a result of the violent killings being committed associated with the rise of violent consequences exacted by the rules of the game. An increasingly dangerous one, at that. The “crack dealers”, crack-heads” aka “monsta’s” and 5-0 (five-oh, aka the police) intersected in the streets, obeying and breaking a code of conduct and laws, both written and unwritten, but strictly enforced. My story is about those consequences, and the price I paid. “A Wretch Like Me: From Crack Addict to Change Agent,” is not for the faint at heart, or anyone choosing to “just forget those days ever happened,” like someone once said to me. It’s about owning my mistakes, telling my truths, and leaving my story, so others can perhaps draw strength from it. It’s about mending what’s broken, where possible. It’s about my healing, which connects to the healing of those I’ve hurt, on my journey to finding who I am, whose I am, and where I’m going from here. Thank you for taking this journey with me. Enjoy, and Be Blessed, ~Beverly A. Black~