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Oct 11, 2011
No Love Lost is a great teaching tool for single mothers of young or teen-aged sons. It allowed me to step inside the minds of these young men and teach me to be a much wiser parent than I would have been, having been so blind to the lifestyle that these young boys get caught up in. This is truly a must read and another great novel by a very talented writer who doesn't hold back, keeps it real and tells it like it is. Therone Shellman has been blessed with a gift that only gets better with time.
Meisha Martin
Reviewed by Denise Gillete/ Urbania magazine
Therone Shellman bares his life story in his autobiography Survivor I Changed the Rules. As a youth he and his siblings were taken from their mother, placed into foster care, and shuffled around. They end up being adopted by a family whose interests in adopting were at the very least questionable.
At age 15 he turns to selling drugs to earn money to move him and his younger sister out of the home of their adoptive parents. As time goes on, he spends more time in illicit activities and less time in school until one day his adoptive parents find out about his truancy from school and he’s kicked out the home. After this he stops going to school completely. Soon enough he finds himself in jail for 6 counts of armed robbery and 1 attempted murder. Most of the charges are dismissed and he takes a plea deal.
While in prison he reflects on his life and vows to make better choices for himself when released on parole. After release, months of being unable to find work and the lure of fast money has him back in the streets hustling. He ends up getting locked up on a parole violation, and after being locked up several times for more parole violations over the next few years he realizes something has to change. He serves a year on his last violation and makes plans for things to be different when he gains his freedom. Upon release from prison, he finds employment and moves up the ladder of corporate America, but still has dreams to form his own company. He eventually resigns from his position in the corporate world and does just that.
Each chapter of the book is introduced with a brief that will stir you to reflect and relate. Survivor I Changed the Rules is motivating, uplifting, and thought-provoking. A foray into a world that so many venture into but never make it back out. A highly recommended read, especially for young black men who aspire to travel a path that for most ends up with them being dead or in jail.
