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A review by prairie_fairie
The Shot Caller: A Latino Gangbanger's Miraculous Escape from a Life of Violence to a New Life in Christ by Casey Diaz
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I've seen a couple of prison movies before. This is kind of like one of those, only in a written form (and not as long). It's an excellent account and very hard to put down once you start it. (I feel ashamed to say that it is excellent, as prison movies are typically quite violent and portray a less-than-desirable life for the protagonist, but I wasn't always a Christian). Casey is the protagonist in this story. His early life is violent. He's looking for a sense of belonging and probably a sense of purpose. He finds both in the gang life. But he also finds prison and admits that prior to that his soul turned black. He knew what he was doing to people prior to going to prison wasn't good, but he didn't care.
While locked up in the SHU ( say "shoe"), or solitary as some of us know it as, Casey has an encounter with God. The way it reads to me comes off as a bit of a 'story of your life' kind of thing, only Jesus is there, being nailed to a cross saying why He's being crucified. For Casey, it's humbling. It affects him in a way probably nothing has ever affected him. This is the beginning of Casey 2.0
Reading this, I am reminded of someone very dear to me who has had a hell of a life and it's only half way through that life when he finally let God take the lead that God is now using all those truly awful experiences and turning them into awesome testimonies into how God can work in our lives and reach people that nobody else can, because they get them. Jesus uses people who have come out of situations so they can be relatable to others who are still in those situations. Just like the agent and some of the COs and judges and all those who saw Casey 'find God' and 'get religion' while in prison could see this was something different to someone trying to impress a parole board, I see it also in that close relative of mine.
Casey had his Frances Proctor whom barely knew him praying for him while he was in 23 hour lock-down. My relative had his mother while he was enduring some similar things.
To those Frances Proctors who go into spiritual warfare regularly for someone's salvation, this book is for you. To those who have been to prison and wonder what the purpose to your life is, this book is for you. And to those who know one of these people, you need to buy them this book. It will change someone's life. I know it will. I'm about to buy another copy for my loved one to give to someone he thinks would benefit from it. And while I said the protagonist was Casey. The protagonist is God, but God likes to use people to get the message across. So what are you waiting for....buy the book.
While locked up in the SHU ( say "shoe"), or solitary as some of us know it as, Casey has an encounter with God. The way it reads to me comes off as a bit of a 'story of your life' kind of thing, only Jesus is there, being nailed to a cross saying why He's being crucified. For Casey, it's humbling. It affects him in a way probably nothing has ever affected him. This is the beginning of Casey 2.0
Reading this, I am reminded of someone very dear to me who has had a hell of a life and it's only half way through that life when he finally let God take the lead that God is now using all those truly awful experiences and turning them into awesome testimonies into how God can work in our lives and reach people that nobody else can, because they get them. Jesus uses people who have come out of situations so they can be relatable to others who are still in those situations. Just like the agent and some of the COs and judges and all those who saw Casey 'find God' and 'get religion' while in prison could see this was something different to someone trying to impress a parole board, I see it also in that close relative of mine.
Casey had his Frances Proctor whom barely knew him praying for him while he was in 23 hour lock-down. My relative had his mother while he was enduring some similar things.
To those Frances Proctors who go into spiritual warfare regularly for someone's salvation, this book is for you. To those who have been to prison and wonder what the purpose to your life is, this book is for you. And to those who know one of these people, you need to buy them this book. It will change someone's life. I know it will. I'm about to buy another copy for my loved one to give to someone he thinks would benefit from it. And while I said the protagonist was Casey. The protagonist is God, but God likes to use people to get the message across. So what are you waiting for....buy the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Violence