Inner City Miracle

Publishers Weekly

Underprivileged black boys desperate to rise above their circumstances can benefit greatly from such institutions as school, the army, government social programs and the judicial system as well as a knowledge of options, according to Mathis, himself a kid criminal and gangland thug growing up in Detroit's devastated projects. His turnaround came in 1977, when he heard Jesse Jackson speak. Mathis was 17 years old, and Jackson's advice struck a chord. "Your heart is in the right place, but to win young people's minds and souls, you've got to have ammunition," Jackson told him privately, after his speech. "A year from now, I want to hear what you've done to improve yourself.... We got a deal?" With the help of his single mother's Seventh Day Adventist discipline, his wife-to-be's book-hitting habits and many mentors, Mathis eventually studied his way into law school, passed the bar, toiled in Michigan politics, was elected a judge and landed a syndicated TV show, Judge Mathis. His membership in multiple social classes has helped him forge his practical insight into human nature into an organized story about a hero's trajectory. Mathis and coauthor Walker poetically render the rhythms of street language, at least to those who don't speak it, and fairly present Mathis's sometimes testosterone-driven male attitude, making this an honest feel-good story. Mathis's parable from the projects explores a world that will be crucially familiar to many and offers a way to reach poor teens who rightly feel misunderstood and underrepresented in the mainstream. Photos not seen by PW. (On sale Oct. 1) Forecast: Advertising in African-American newspapers in major markets, an author tour and probable media plugs by Mathis will target educators and parents, but whether they'll be able to persuade their teens to read it is questionable. Mathis is working on an HBO movie based on his life, which might be a more direct way for him to reach young people. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

VOYA

Starting his life in the inner city of Detroit, Mathis seemed to have little choice but to live the life of a young hoodlum. It was only a matter of time before his actions would catch up with this foul-mouthed, belligerent young man, who thumbed his nose at the law. Time spent in jail proved to be a blessing after he was finally arrested at age seventeen. After a visit from his mother, who brought the news that she had cancer, Mathis promised to turn his life around. To everyone's surprise, he did, working his way from high school dropout to law school graduate and the youngest judge in Michigan. His brutally honest tale is an inspiration to haves and have-nots alike. The strong language peppered throughout merely underscores the severity of the author's situation, and no holds are barred in the candid descriptions of hatred and violence, all of which serve to illustrate the tremendous effort it must have taken to switch from tough gangsta to respected citizen. To have climbed out of such a desperate situation to become a jurist and even achieve some notoriety as Judge Mathis in his daily television show is truly miraculous. More than a memoir, this book is a life story that must be read to be believed. Photos. VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P J S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2002, Ballantine, 167p,
— Holly King

Library Journal

Mathis, a former Detroit district court judge, shares stories of his upbringing in a strict household with a mother who worked several jobs to support her four sons. He also reveals that he lived on both sides of the law, eventually escaping to become Michigan's youngest judge ever. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.