“Haha. You’re kind. Just bring the next one to me too.”
“Will do, will do. Let’s just hope there’s a lot more.”
“You know it,” he said. As I reached out my hand, he pulled me in for an easy hug. Luke stood at the door, ready to go, a shy smile across his face.
Afterward, I walk Luke to his train, tossing some possible interview questions he might have to field, assuring him nervousness is part of the deal, telling him stories about my first job experiences. As we’re talking, he lets down his guard and his true self emerges, and I feel like I’m staring in a mirror. I think of my grandparents, who opened their doors to me; and Iza, who opened her heart to me. Of Damon, who treated me like a son. I think of Mr. Walton, who tried to be a bridge for me, whose heart I broke when he had to give up on me, whose presence again in my life seems a form of divine grace I can neither understand nor question.
We reach the subway station. Luke thanks me and heads down the stone steps, his new suit in a garment bag around his backpack. Then he turns around to wave. I see myself waving back.
Then he goes through the turnstile and mixes in with the busy New York crowd.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the many people who have helped with this book: My agent, Susan Golomb, for her faith in me; my editor, Jonathan Jao, for his guidance throughout this process; Sofia Groopman and all the people at Harper for their dedication; and my co-writer, Jon Sternfeld, for his patience, open-mindedness, willingness to educate me, and expertise. Thank you.
To those who have made me: Leonide Victorin, Molier Joseph, Aunt Michelle St. Germain, and Jacqueline Prince, thank you for sharing the little that you didn’t have with me. There is no me without you. To Ms. Donna Oglio, you’re tough for such a petite angel. Thanks for making me a better version of myself and helping me write down the first words for this book.
To Joanna Solfrian, you’ve been everything I can ask for as an advisor, counselor, mentor, and friend.
To Iza Cedeno and Damon Canada, you’ve been there at my lowest, angriest, and darkest moments, but you never wavered on your commitment to save me. It is rare to find people who will never give up on you. I love both of you for your selflessness.
To Christine Bella, there aren’t enough words to describe my love for you. You have done more for me than I can ever repay you for. It brings me joy to know that I’m not special to you; this is what you do for every child you’ve come across. I’m blessed to know that you’re stuck with me.
To my fada, Carlos Walton, words won’t do me any justice here. I am me because of you. We’ve been through it all and, therefore, we’ll continue to go through it all. Your love for us has put a lot of funeral homes out of business. You love those of us no one else bothered to love, which makes your love stronger than most. I love you more than I’m able to understand.
To Amy Cooney, this book doesn’t exist without you. Thank you for loving me, Marty, and my son, CJ. I’m thankful to know that I’m part of the family.
To Marty Feinman, there isn’t enough space here to express my gratitude and love for you. I know that I’m the most fortunate man living simply because I’m able to tell others that I’m guaranteed a space in that big heart of yours.
To Angelina Thompson, you’re the greatest mother I know. I’m lucky to raise our greatest joy with you. Thank you.
To my mother, Miland Gelin, and father, Ricot St. Germain, thank you for giving me life. You’ve done your best, and I’m indebted to you both.
To my grandparents Marie Louisville and Luc St. Germain, I hope I’m making you proud in heaven.
To my brothers, Colin and Roothchild, and my sister, Geraldine St. Germain, thank you for carrying me through life. Love you all.
For all of the others who have played a role in my being, I couldn’t mention you all, but you’re no less significant to my journey.
To every young person I’ve encountered, to every child who has inherited a painful life or been born on the wrong side of privilege, I wrote this book for you. Although I don’t speak for you, I hope you’ll use what you can from it. Your struggle is no deficit; it is the fuel that will sustain you through this arduous journey known as life. Many are called, few are chosen. The more you fight, the more I will fight. I need you.
NOTES
1. Pope Francis. “Address of the Holy Father: Visit to Detainees at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility,” Philadelphia, September 27, 2015, w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/september/documents/papa-francesco_20150927_usa-detenuti.html.
2. Roy Baumeister and John Tierney. Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength (New York: Penguin Press, 2011), 174.
3. Desmond Tutu. “Why Desmond Tutu Thinks Bryan Stevenson Is ‘Shaping the Moral Universe,’” Vanity Fair, May 2015, vanityfair.com/news/2015/04/bryan-stevenson-just-mercy-desmond-tutu.
4. Ta-Nehisi Coates. The Beautiful Struggle (New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2009), 20.
5. Bryan Stevenson. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2015), 289.
6. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt, with Lisa Frazier Page. The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream (New York: Riverhead Books, 2003), 3.
7. Derived from a poem written by Dinos Christianopoulous.
8. Wes Moore. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates (New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2011), 66.
9. Thomas Merton. The Seven Storey Mountain (New York: Mariner Books, 1999), Paperback edition, 92.
10. Jill Colvin. “Hundreds of Juvenile Offenders Being Relocated Closer to Home,” DNAinfo, October 4, 2012, dnainfo.com/new-york/20121004/east-new-york/hundreds-of-juvenile-offenders-being-relocated-closer-home.
11. Ta-Nehisi Coates. Between the World and Me (New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2015), 82.
12. Commencement Speech, “Ready, Able and Willing,” the Doe Fund, 2015.
13. NAACP. “Criminal Justice Fact Sheet,” 2016, naacp.org/pages/criminal-justice-fact-sheet.
14. Coates, The Beautiful Struggle, 180.
15. Danielle Paquette. “One in Nine Black Children Has Had a Parent in Prison,” Washington Post, October 27, 2015, washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/10/27/one-in-nine-black-children-have-had-a-parent-in-prison.
16. Eileen Patten, and Jens Manuel Krogstad. “Black Child Poverty Rate Holds Steady, Even as Other Groups See Declines,” Pew Research Center, July 14, 2015, pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/14/black-child-poverty-rate-holds-steady-even-as-other-groups-see-declines.
17. Center on the Developing Child. “Excessive Stress Disrupts the Architecture of the Developing Brain,” National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, Harvard University, January 2014, developingchild.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2005/05/Stress_Disrupts_Architecture_Developing_Brain-1.pdf.
18. “Trauma & Resilience,” in A Primer for Youth Defenders, National Juvenile Defender Center, 2016 Annual Summit.
19. https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_foss_a_prosecutor_s_vision_for_a_better_justice_system/transcript?language=en.
20. Chris Niles. “Nelson Mandela: Any Society Which Does Not Care for its Children Is No Nation at All,” UNICEF, July 17, 2013, unicef.org/infobycountry/southafrica_69771.html.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
JIM ST. GERMAIN is the cofounder of Preparing Leaders of Tomorrow (PLOT), a nonprofit organization that provides mentoring to at-risk youth; and a board member with the National Juvenile Defender Center. He works as a residential care advocate for the City of New York, and was appointed by President Obama to the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Jim lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his son, Caleb.
JON STERNFELD is a writer whose work includes Crisis Point: Why We Must—and How We Can—Overcome Our Broken Politics in Washington and Across America with Senators Trent Lott and Tom Daschle and Strong in the Broken Places with Quentin Vennie. He lives in New York.
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COPYRIGHT
This is a work of nonfiction. The events and experiences detailed herein are all true and have been faithfully rendered as I have remembered them, to the best of my ability. Some names, identities, and circumstances have been changed in order to protect the anonymity of individuals involved. Though conversations come from my keen recollection of them, they are not written to represent word-for-word documentation; rather, I’ve retold them in a way that evokes the real feeling and meaning of what was said, in keeping with the true essence of the mood and spirit of the event.
A STONE OF HOPE. Copyright © 2017 by Jim St. Germain. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Cover design by Milan Bozic
Cover photograph courtesy of the author
EPub Edition July 2017 ISBN 978-0-06-245881-0
Print ISBN 978-0-06-245879-7
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