Don't Blame Me: The Convict Chronicles

by Jonathan Z. Queen

Prisons are a breeding ground for thieves, rapists and murderers to congregate and plot ways to become better criminals. This stereotype is glorified by many authors who write about the violent and predatory prison environment while never touching on the emotional and human side of a convict...until now: Jonathan Queen s Don t Blame Me: The Convict Chronicles; a collection of short stories that will take you on a journey behind the walls and barbed wire fences of America s Prison system and into the hearts and minds of its convicts as well as their loved ones. You ll go on a visit with a lifer and the daughter he hasn t seen in 14 years. You ll witness a drive-by shooting through the eyes of a 3-year old; you ll read a letter written by the illiterate hand of a dying man, and find out why a young girl is accused of killing her father. You will watch an innocent man fight for love and freedom and lose both; and you will discover the disturbing ways in which five inmates react when it slips out that one of them has tested positive for HIV. Every so often, a new writer blazes onto the literary scene with an unforgettable debut book that is thrilling and intriguing. Jonathan Z. Queen is such a talent, and his raw, blistering tales of hard-bitten convicts make for the most exciting, authentic collection of short stories I have ever read. -The Urban Book Source

218 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

Jonathan Z Queen, the oldest of five children, was raised in an impoverished neighborhood in Harrisburg, PA by a struggling, single mother. He began using and selling drugs at the age of 14. At the age of 23 he was arrested for the third time, labeled a Career-Criminal and sentenced to 10 years in a Federal Prison.

In his second book entitled: Are You S.A.N.E. (Setting A New Example): Changing Who You Are by Changing How You Think, author and motivational speaker, Jonathan Z Queen, draws on his experiences as a convicted drug-dealer and careercriminal, who was able to change his life after spending over nine years in prison. Based on his street education, spiritual revival, drug/alcohol and cognitive therapy treatment, Jonathan provides an innovative approach to changing how you think so that you can feel the way you WANT to feel and become the change you desire to see.

Are You S.A.N.E. explores intriguing topics such as: The Dont Blame Me Mentality, Personal Prisons, Overcoming Addiction, Chained to the Gang, Spirit Up, Missed Education, The Role Model Risk, Drug Dealers Anonymous, Keeping It Reality, Taking the Diss Out of Dysfunctional Families, and much more.

During the last four years of his 9-year prison sentence, Jonathan completed over 18 months of criminal behavior and drug education programs. He subsequently volunteered for the 500-hour Residential Drug-Abuse Program, where he became a Peer Counselor, Sponsor and Board Member on the Education/Tutoring Committee. Jonathan graduated first in his RDAP class and

has become well-versed in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), ABCs of Rational Self Analysis, Criminal Thinking Errors, Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, Victim Impact and Assertive Communication.

Today, Jonathan Z Queen is an author, motivational speaker, playwright, actor, director, and poet. He is the co-founder of New Mindz and Vice President of Asikari Publishing, LLC. He is a licensed minister,an ordained deacon,a Government Contract Manager, GED Instructor, and mentor. More importantly, he is a devoted husband,faithful father and community leader.

Jonathan is also a member of The National Exhoodus Council(NEC); a nationwide campaign comprised of formerly incarcerated professionals; all are former members of the criminal/drug/gang culture who now serve as beacons of hopefor those who desire to make a positive change as well. Their motto is: Serving Our Country, After Serving Our Time.

I want to help change the world. Queen says. There are men, women and children who have already made or will make mistakes similar to mine. They need to see that change is not only possible; it is required. I especially want to start a Change Reaction in our young people. I want to empower them with an optimism that conquers their low self-esteem and teaches them the benefits of doing the right thing even when nobody is watching.

Are You S.A.N.E. along with Jonathans first release, Dont Blame Me: The Convict Chronicles is available through www.asikaripublishing.com, www.amazon.com, and in bookstores nationwide.

Jonathan is available for speaking engagements, school assemblies, book signings, interviews, reading group discussions, seminars and workshops.

Contact: info@asikaripublishing.com

Mr. Queen is a very energetic, effective and inspirational speaker who specializes in interactive workshops that include spoken word, improvisations and role playing. His experience as a GED Tutor in four different Correctional Institutions has made him very knowledgeable about the correlation between illiteracy and how the drop-out rate affects the crime rate; he especially enjoys sharing his experiences with at-risk-youth.

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Reviews

[A-Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dont Blame Me is a boook about other peoples experences that Jonathan Queens learned while doing time in prison. He is one of my favorite authors because his stories are real an true. Although his stories are very messed up, tragic, and sad, this book is very good. You can feel and practically put your self there with the way he is describing every little detail. I loved this book, a lot!!

[The Urban Book Source · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every so often, a new writer blazes onto the literary scene with an unforgettable debut book that is thrilling and intriguing. Jonathan Z. Queen is such a talent, and his raw, blistering tales of hard-bitten convicts make for the most exciting, authentic collection of short stories I have ever read.

Jonathan Z. Queen’s Don’t Blame Me: The Convict Chronicles is a collection of short stories and poems about the trials and tribulations people go through which ultimately land them in prison. Each tale is so well written and descriptive that you will feel like you are actually in the prison cell with the convicts. This book evokes terror, laughter and compassion and will definitely leave a lasting impression on you after reading it.

Each story is unique in its own way and takes you on a different journey. In the spoken word performance piece entitled “Next”, you will witness the reactions of five inmates when they overhear the nurse at a correctional facility say one of the men tested positive for HIV. This story is very powerful and captures the various ways a person can contract this deadly disease.

Other tales include a girl who is accused of killing her father; a very wealthy man who finds himself involved in a federal crime he didn’t commit; there is a drive-by shooting that goes awry at the last moment; there is a miracle; there are several tragedies; and there are several life changing moments. Queen ends the collection with a story entitled “Don’t Blame Me” which will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more.

Most of the stories in this book share certain themes: life in prison; a fascination with drugs and violence, even among men who aren't career criminals. A diverse collection of tales, Don’t Blame Me: The Convict Chronicles is guaranteed to strike an assortment of nerves across a wide audience.

Queen is a great example of how a person can change their life after spending years in prison. He spent his teenage years as a drug dealer. At the age of 23, he was labeled a career-criminal and sentenced to 10 years in a federal prison. Today, he is happily married and is dedicated to helping individuals and organizations excel through education, drug and alcohol abstinence, communication and self-improvement.

What did you like about the book?
I loved the quality of the writing in this book. At first, I had mixed thoughts when I received this book and didn’t know what to expect. Fortunately, I was very pleasantly surprised and now I’m eagerly awaiting the next book. Kudos to the author for a job well done!

What did you dislike about the book?
The only thing I dislike about the book is the cover…it’s very misleading and may cause people to walk right past it in a book store or library.

What could the author do to improve the book?
The author could use a different picture for the cover of this book.

[O'shay]

I liked this book it made me thing about some of the people in the world, and what drives them to do some of the crazy things they do and why. This book contains a bunch of short stories, if you never read it. The people/charters all tell why they are going or why they are in jail.
Like this unnamed man that they called “The Down Low Bro” talked about his one of his friends that takes hormone pills and made him look kind of hot. Well in an attempt to make it known the he’s not gay but he says crazy like: “My friend takes hormone pills and has long, curly hair, a flawless complexion, and nice full breast the bounce round when he runs track… I’ve played with them… and sucked his nipples while he beat me off. But I’m not gay.” Or “My voice is light, soft like silk almost feminine, but … I’m not gay.” He ends almost all his sentences with “I’m not gay” but also talks about how he’s having sex with the feminine men in jail with him.
The other charter that makes me wonders “WHAT THE HELL!” is the Broker. He says he has a secret that he will never tell (which he does because I know what it is.) But in his words “I have a passion for boys of young age…. I’ve tried to stop but it’s like a disease.” But umm to me it’s a really sick habit that he didn’t want to stop and just feels sorry for himself because he got caught. Like how in the hell do you miss your computer filled with kiddie porn more than you miss own wife and kids. And that’s all I have to say about that.

[Jazmine Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was absolutely enthralled by this book, but I'm a little bias cause my dad wrote it while serving a 10 year sentence in federal prison. It is a collection of short stories inspired by real stories of the prisoners that he met while in prison. Some of the stories are really messed up and sick but so real. It definitely makes you think about what other people might be going through and pretty grateful that your life is nothing like some of the ones described in this book.

[Laron Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the book its keeps me thinking what is going 2 happen next. i dont read alot but I love 2 read this book. if u read this book your going to love it because i really dont read but i read this book everyday now it cool. like he has been in so many problems its crazy. i would hate 2 live his life.

[Anthony Sawyers]

GREAAAAAT BOOOOKKK!!!!!!