LVA Book Talk Series - R. Dwayne Betts, A Question of Freedom

August 12, 2009. Dwayne Betts discusses his memoir, A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival and Coming of Age in Prison. Betts was a good student from a lower-middle class family when, at 16, he and a friend carjacked a man. He had never held a gun before, but within a matter of minutes he had committed six felonies. A bright young kid, weighing only 126 pounds, he served his eight-year sentence as part of the adult population in some of the worst prisons in Virginia. A Question of Freedom is a coming-of-age story, with the unique twist that it takes place in prison. Utterly alone—and with the growing realization that he really is not going home any time soon—Betts confronts profound questions about violence, freedom, crime, race, and the justice system. Above all, A Question of Freedom is about a quest for identity—one that guarantees Bettss survival in a hostile environment and that incorporates an understanding of how his own past led to the moment of his crime.

U. S. Congressman Robert Bobby Scott of Virginia Third Congressional District, a long-time advocate of juvenile justice reform, also delivers a presentation at the event.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Library of Virginia
• Robert Bobby Scott
• prison
• book talk