Spiral: Murder * Madness * Meditation

by R. Troy Bridges

Spiral is one man's story of the true cost of greenbacks stolen, the interest accrued and his path to redemption. Born to poor and alcoholic parents, Spiral follows the twists and turns of Troy Bridges' life from a South Carolina childhood to a sentence of life without parole. In his many bank heists, Troy never used violence or carried a weapon. Instead he would dress in a suit purchased from a local thrift store and hand the bank teller a note asking for money. Fleeing the bank he would quickly discard the suit and fade into a life of leisure for a few weeks or months until the money ran out. If you've ever wondered what it is like to rob a bank and get away with a bag of cash and an exploding dye pack, or live life on the run, or spend years in prison, or escape from prison multiple times, you'll find this book fascinating. If you've ever wondered how you could turn your life around, this is Troy's compelling story of how, through meditation, an epiphany, and service to others, he found peace in the chaotic brutality of America's prisons. Twenty years in the writing, the first draft of Spiral didn't survive the penal system. Meanwhile, the younger guard, who hadn’t even been born when I came to prison, had been quietly reading my manuscript. He looked up. “This ain’t legal material. This some kinda book.” “Well, thank you,” I said. “It’s nothin but bullshit! You think you’re so smart! I’ll tell you what, Slick, you can’t have it.” He pushed the manuscript and daily journal to the far side of the counter. Then, as if afraid that I might lunge across the counter for it, he picked it up, turned, then purposely walked around the counter and dumped it all in the large trash barrel. Although at first he doesn't think he can face the task, Troy starts from scratch and writes his memoir again. Spiral is full of vivid characters and the reality of bad choices and life in prison, and yet, in many ways, it is an uplifting book about a man overcoming himself to make a meaningful life under the most difficult of circumstances.

356 pages, Paperback

Published February 3, 2021

Reviews

[⚫㊐✨Heather Mc Erlean❦㈦㊏ · Rating 5 out of 5]

R. Troy Bridge's book, "Spiral: Murder * Madness * Meditation," was a difficult read. I do not mean this as his book was technically hard to read, but rather that the abuse he suffered in the book was hard to read. Not often a book will bring me to tears, but this did. I could even say there were parts that I could identify with.

It is told in a style that is like recalling memories. The way the story is told you just want to reach into the book, pull out those parents and others (including the grandparents) that caused so much grief to tell them what you think of them. Everything is like you're sitting there hearing it from the author and that makes it more emotional. If it were your friend sitting there telling you this story, you would definitely be in tears, or so angry you wanted to go hurt those who hurt your friend.

If you want a book that explains how someone's life ended up the way it did, then this is a book you will want to read. It is not an easy book to read as it pulls at the heart strings, but it is well worth the read.

[WendyJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads giveaway win

This is the author’s memoir telling of the abuse he endured in childhood, how he joined the service, went AWOL and then ejected. He talks about robbing baks and never had a gun. He talks about the various prisons he was in and the terrible treatment received inside. Then, he did a turnaround and started meditating and got others to do so.
This has helped him to cope and hopefully he will endure the rest of his prison term with meditation.
He had a rough life from the start and he followed through with the bad, but toward the end you see he can be good and can hope he will be able to enjoy some good when he gets out of prison.

[Marianne Plunkert · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is both incredible and sad that someone as multitalented and extremely intelligent as the author of this autobiography would end up spending most of his life behind prison bars. It is definitely a testament to how childhood trauma and poor adult example can affect the trajectory of one's life.

Spiral is a well-written, fast moving book that gives the reader a glimpse into the mindset of a habitual offender who also demonstrates great compassion toward his fellow man. And it gives us much more than a simple glimpse into the horrors of prison life. Best of all, it should give anyone who feels like life has left him/her behind hope that a brighter future is attainable.

I can highly recommend this book. It is a worthwhile read for so many reasons.

[Heather Pendley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first few chapters were OK, although he had terribly sad childhood. Also, two of the subtitles are misleading—he did not commit murder nor sink into madness. I was frustrated with his stupidity and repeated escape attempts (they never lasted). The last few chapters, when he began to try to change his life, was the only redeeming factor in this book, but I wouldn't waste my time with it again.