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literarypengwyns 's review for:
Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System
by Cyntoia Brown-Long
I remember when #FreeCyntoia was being shared by major celebrities, but I didn’t know much about her story outside of the memes until I listened to a true crime podcast episode about her, and another young woman who is still incarcerated for a similar situation.
When Cyntoia was 16 years old, she shot and killed a man in self defense. At the time, she didn’t realize she was a victim of sex trafficking by a man she thought she loved and that he loved her. In reality, he was her pimp and groomed her to live a lifetime that put her in the position to be a victim and to have to murder someone in self defense.
In 2019, at the age of 31 and after spending over 15 years in prison, Cyntoia was released and her sentence was commuted. While she was incarcerated, she truly changed as a human, was rehabilitated, educated herself and found ways to help other women who were also in her position as a young woman. She found true love with a man who respected her, and through that love, she found faith.
Cyntoia’s story and her case and crime are very complicated, but through her words, we realize it maybe doesn’t have to be, and reform truly needs to happen…not only with the American Prison system, but also with sex work, grooming, and trying children as adults.
I found her experience enlightening and it was so powerful to hear her tell me this story through the audio. There is quite a bit about her faith journey and how she gained so much strength from her faith, but ultimately Cyntoia’s story is about how we all can change and that no one should be considered a lost cause. She encourages everyone to become more active and to take steps in reforming systems around us that cause further harm in the name of justice.
I highly recommend this book and plan to look into local advocacy work as well as criminal justice reform in my local area and to see how I can champion reform and rehabilitation in my own community.
When Cyntoia was 16 years old, she shot and killed a man in self defense. At the time, she didn’t realize she was a victim of sex trafficking by a man she thought she loved and that he loved her. In reality, he was her pimp and groomed her to live a lifetime that put her in the position to be a victim and to have to murder someone in self defense.
In 2019, at the age of 31 and after spending over 15 years in prison, Cyntoia was released and her sentence was commuted. While she was incarcerated, she truly changed as a human, was rehabilitated, educated herself and found ways to help other women who were also in her position as a young woman. She found true love with a man who respected her, and through that love, she found faith.
Cyntoia’s story and her case and crime are very complicated, but through her words, we realize it maybe doesn’t have to be, and reform truly needs to happen…not only with the American Prison system, but also with sex work, grooming, and trying children as adults.
I found her experience enlightening and it was so powerful to hear her tell me this story through the audio. There is quite a bit about her faith journey and how she gained so much strength from her faith, but ultimately Cyntoia’s story is about how we all can change and that no one should be considered a lost cause. She encourages everyone to become more active and to take steps in reforming systems around us that cause further harm in the name of justice.
I highly recommend this book and plan to look into local advocacy work as well as criminal justice reform in my local area and to see how I can champion reform and rehabilitation in my own community.