Rodney Stotts

This book was very easy to read, and not only because of the amount of conversation and present moment activity he tells about. It was also easy because Rodney showed strength, determination, and a positive attitude. You can see the love he had for his mother and brother.
It gives me hope that someone stuck in a ghetto can become aware of the power of the natural world, and grab on to opportunities to become more involved in that. And, further, that he did not keep these opportunities to himself but committed to reaching out to others who, like him, were lost in a ghetto and needed to find something solid to hold on to.
Warning: He talks matter-of-factly about dealing drugs, carrying a gun, and other gang behavior (tho he is more reticent on sexual behaviors). I'm not sure I want to pass this on to my pre-teen rural grandkids quite yet.… (mehr)

Growing up in Southeast Washington DC in the late 80s/early 90s, Rodney Stotts dealt drugs and got into trouble, as did most young black men like him. On the side, however, he always had a passion for animals and the environment. First helping with a transformative clean-up of the Anacostia River, then ending up in prison on drug-related crimes, today Stotts is one of the few Black master falconers in the United States. His life story is alternated with contemporary scenes of teaching falconry to his adult son and working to build a farm for city kids to visit.

A really thoughtful, meaningful little book. Stotts is very matter-of-fact about the lack of opportunity that led him to drug dealing and prison, and the things that he saw and dealt with even while he was doing all of the “right” things. The ghostwriter did an excellent job - the sections set in the past are more polished while Stotts’ voice shines through in the introspective contemporary chapters. Highly recommended to anyone who thinks it sounds interesting, particularly anyone else from the DC area.… (mehr)