Lessons of Redemption
A Story of Drugs, Guns, Violence, and Prison

Name: Lessons of Redemption
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: Kevin Shird
ISBN: 9781504738798

Author: Kevin Shird

Narrator: Kevin Kenerly

Unabridged: 7 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 01/01/2017

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Memoirs

Synopsis

Lessons of Redemption is the memoir of Kevin Shird, a former drug dealer from Baltimore who now is a leading advocate against violence, drug dealing, and social inequality.The book is an extraordinary account of how one young man turned his life around after years of involvement in serious crime and drug dealing. Shird tells of shootings, murder, drug dealing, and his life behind bars in a federal prison.Shocking, fascinating, and frightening, Lessons of Redemption is a raw, uncensored look into a way of life that has destroyed many urban communities in America.

About Kevin Shird

Kevin Shird is a nationally recognized youth advocate, author, public speaker, and humanitarian. After serving a total of twelve years in California state prison and federal prison for drug trafficking, he now advocates for young people and policy changes and he often uses the term “redemption.” Through a strategic partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, he has spoken to students at colleges and universities around the country, lecturing on the issues of substance-abuse prevention, re-entry into the community after incarceration, public-health policy and mental health as it relates to incarceration. He also tells his personal story of redemption and how one can literally walk through fire and emerge on the other side—helping to ensure better lives for others.

About Kevin Kenerly

Kevin Kenerly, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, earned a BA at Olivet College. A longtime member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he has acted in more than twenty seasons, playing dozens of roles.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Suze on March 02, 2018

In Lessons of Redemption Kevin Shird tells his life story. His family was poor and Kevin didn't have much supervision when he was younger. He was always stressed about where his next meal would come from and didn't know if there would be money for shoes and other necessities. To have what others wer......more

Goodreads review by Deep on May 03, 2025

Lessons of Redemption by Kevin Shird is a gripping and brutally honest memoir that charts the transformative journey of a man who emerged from the depths of street crime to become a national voice for change. With unflinching candor, Shird recounts his early life as a drug dealer in Baltimore—one ma......more

Goodreads review by Maverick on July 25, 2016

Kevin Shird's remarkable journey from the corner of Mount and Fayette streets in West Baltimore -- from a life nearly squandered in service of the other America's brutal underground economy -- isn't yet complete. He's still learning, still fighting, still paying back. But with "Lessons of Redemption......more

Goodreads review by David on November 22, 2016

I have just about finished Lessons of Redemption: My Journey Through Gangland America by Kevin Shird - a frank and honest account of the rise and fall and rise again of the author. It's an engaging read, if a little lightweight, but then he does stick to the point rather than meander through every as......more

Goodreads review by Stevewilliams27 on November 22, 2016

Compelling biography but a bit too quick of a read I thought. I feel like there's a lot left untold and I wanted more depth out of the story telling- more detail about how the business grew to be so successful, how deals were orchestrated, court proceedings, etc. All in all though I guess it's not t......more

Quotes

“Kevin Shird’s remarkable journey from the corner of Mount and Fayette streets in West Baltimore—from a life nearly squandered in service of the other America’s brutal underground economy—isn’t yet complete. He’s still learning, still fighting, still paying back. But with Lessons of Redemption on the page, it’s clear that for him, there is no going back.” David Simon, creator of the television series The Wire and The Corner

“The book is an account of life on the streets, the impact of drugs on the community, and the impact of addiction on the children of addicts. Being a Baltimore native and knowing the author for over twenty-five years, [I know] his story is the story of far too many.” Mario Barrett, Grammy nominated R&B singer and actor

“This man’s story is a remarkable one every American ought to read to learn how redemption can work to change a person to become a major contributor to solving the social problems of a city, the poor, and underprivileged. It shows how one who may have fallen from grace and been punished for crime and incarcerated can change his value system and become a leader in his community to solve one of its greatest problems of crime and violence.” Judge Arthur L. Burnett Sr., Superior Court of the District of Columbia (retired)