Hope

About the Book

Jonathan Williams, a straight “A” twelve-year-old, has grown up witnessing his mother be physically abused by her pimp. Seeking to escape the abuse, Joyce Williams moves the two of them from the outskirts of town into the inner city where Jonathan’s life becomes a living hell and he is dismissed as another statistic. But while searching for a job to meet his parole requirements, Jonathan meets a highly educated supervisor that encourages him to pursue an Ivy League education. Here, we follow him on a journey of honorable triumph against the odds.

About the Author

TIYHISE M. HUDDLESTON is an author, screenwriter, poet, and scholar. Growing up in the housing projects on Syracuse, New York’s south side, Tiyhise didn’t have the opportunity to attend private schools or college prep classes. Like most young Black men being raised in the projects by a single mother, Tiyhise gave in to the pitfalls of the illegal drug trade. This eventually landed him in and out of different jails for the majority of his adolescent and young adult years of his life, ultimately, resulting in a life parole sentence under the infamous New York State Rockefeller Drug Laws. Statistically, Tiyhise was supposed to be killed or jailed for a long time, both of which he came very close to. He refused to accept that that was his destiny and instead he chose to educate himself. In June of 2007 he received a merit discharge from life parole for good conduct. He put himself though Bryant & Stratton College, LeMoyne College, Morehouse College, and plans to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts in screen writing from Yale School of Drama. He appeared in the centerfold of The Wall Street Journal for “Best in Class”. He is a member of two prestigious honor societies and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and children.