What's the best nonfiction you've read this year? (bonus if it was published in 2011)

[xrayvision2005]

49. Wrongfully accused and the reality of prison life

Published in 2011 - Fantastic reviews

February 2008. A frigid Friday afternoon. The doorbell rings and in rushes a mob of uniformed agents wielding weapons and hand cuffs. “You’re under arrest!” It’s not exactly how he imagined his day would turn out; or his life for that matter.

INCITE—a true story of two men betrayed by their adopted children and tortured for a crime they did not commit is the gripping rendition of a devastating life event by Rhode Island author, Raymond A. Grenier. More remarkable yet is the transcendental emergence from conquered to conqueror. Readers will be transported from an absorbing position of struggle and despair to a plateau of inspiring triumph.

This actual account reveals the horrific details of life behind bars. A journal recorded during nearly nine months of incarceration explores the abject cruelty and punishment suffered by a falsely accused man and his life’s partner.

Interwoven are accounts of episodes that lead to the erroneous apprehension of these Rhode Island natives – a same sex couple – who took in two young siblings on the brink of separation. The teenage biological brother and sister, adopted on the infamous date of Sept. 11, 2001, accuse the couple of sexual abuse six years later. The innocent men are arrested, indicted on charges of child molestation, and held without bail at an adult correctional institution.

They are victimized and endure unspeakable abuse, primarily resulting from coercion by prison staff and state marshals. Release from prison comes nine months later, following a mistrial held in Rhode Island Superior Court, and a plea bargain to avoid further incarceration.

Most significant in the book Incite is its commentary concerning crime and punishment, the criminal “injustice” system, humanitarianism, and compassion. This chronicle of transcendence reveals insight on courage in the face of uncertainty, as well as challenging the conventional concepts of judgment and forgiveness, accentuating the significance of diversity, acceptance, and personal choice.

About the Author: Raymond Grenier lives in Rhode Island. He has undergone hip restoration surgery as a result of being attacked in prison. He says, “Names have been changed to protect the innocent and shield the guilty.”

INCITE (ISBN: 9781609116712) is available at www.amazon.com