Grace After Midnight: A Memoir [Hardcover]

Felicia Pearson (Author), David Ritz (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2007

While Felicia is a brilliant actor in a truly chilling role, what's most remarkable about "Snoop" is what she has overcome in her life. Snoop was born a three-pound cross-eyed crack baby in East Baltimore. Those streets are among the toughest in the world, but Snoop was tougher. The runt of the ghetto showed an early aptitude for drug slinging and violence and thrived as a baby gangsta until she landed in Jessup state penitentiary after killing a woman in self-defense. There she rebelled violently against the system, and it was only through the cosmic intervention of her mentor, Uncle Loney, that she turned her life around. A couple of years ago, Snoop was discovered in a nightclub by one of The Wire's cast members and quickly recruited to be one of television's most frightening and intriguing villians.

While the story of coming up from the hood has been told by Antwone Fisher and Chris Gardner, among others, Snoop's tale goes far deeper into The Life than any previous books. And like Mary Karr's story, Snoop's is a woman's story from a fresh point of view. She defied traditional conventions of gender and sexual preference on the hardest streets in America and she continues to do so in front of millions of viewers on TV.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pearson, who stars in HBO's The Wire, was born ill and underweight from her mother's drug habits, and later worked for a crack dealer in East Baltimore. At age 15 she killed a woman in self-defense and wound up in the Jessup State Penitentiary. She got a wakeup call when the notorious dealers she called Uncle and Father wound up respectively dead and imprisoned for life. Once out on parole, Pearson took an assembly-line job and didn't give [her neighborhood dope dealers] a second glance, but after repeatedly getting fired because of her rap sheet, she returned to dealing before a chance meeting gave her a way off the street for good. This isn't a light celebrity bio, but a powerful story of someone trying to find her way in a dark world, realizing she can still choose her life's direction even in tremendously difficult circumstances. Pearson's narrative is spare, even poetic, rendering traumatic moments all the more powerful. (Nov.)
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Review

'A powerful story of someone trying to find her way in a dark world, realizing she can still choose her life's direction even in tremendously difficult circumstances. Pearson's narrative is spare, even poetic, rendering traumatic moments all the more powerful' - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446195189
• ISBN-13: 978-0446195188
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #836,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is Her Story... and Hers Alone November 8, 2007

By Priscilla C. Johnson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Felicia was born in Baltimore to a drug-addicted mother and a drug-dealing father who she never really knew. She was placed in the foster home of Mr. and Mrs. Pearson in East Baltimore, considered to be roughest section in the city. The Pearsons, who were old enough to be her grandparents, raised Felicia in a Christian home. She was a smart child who observed everything, including the open and often secret world of drug dealers. Even with all the attention she received from the Pearsons, Felicia was simply drawn to the glitter and hustle of the streets. Felicia "Snoop" Pearson tells her story in Grace After Midnight.

Despite what you may have heard or read about Felicia Pearson, Grace After Midnight sets the record set. She tells her story in her own words for anyone that wants to read it. It is not a pretty picture but she owned it and she did not and does not have to apologize for the way her life turned out. This is a story of family, curiosity, drugs, death, murder, incarceration, grace, encouragement, despair, hope and love. Just when she was about to return to a life on the streets, fate stepped in and she was asked to come to the set of "The Wire" for an audition.

Being from Baltimore and having worked in the foster care department, this reader has seen firsthand many children like Felicia who have had to overcome so much. I applaud her for the courage to tell her story. Grace After Midnight is recommended for everyone, particularly for troubled youth who are looking for a light of encouragement.

Reviewed by: Priscilla C. Johnson
APOOO BookClub

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Where Television Mirrors Life November 30, 2007

By D. Frazier VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, from HBO's drama The Wire, gives it to you straight with no chaser in Grace After Midnight. From birth she had a spirit of survival. Death almost consumed her as the drugs her mother ingested caused her to be born a "three-pound, cross-eyed crack baby," she described. That was the first time she escaped death and it was apparent she had escaped it many times though it filled the streets of her East Baltimore roots. From simply observing her surroundings with eight year-old eyes, she was able to invade the drug world with a wisdom that usually came from playing the game and age. She had mentors who recognized her street talents and taught her the ropes. She had mentors who prayed for her and wanted her to leave the streets alone. She also had foster parents who accepted her for what she was, whatever she was. The wild and wicked ways of East Baltimore was where she felt natural and alive. She received a healthy dose of reality when she was sent to prison for murder. While there, the game changed. She learned about trials and tribulations. She learned to appreciate life beyond bars while still incarcerated. She even learned more lessons about death as it snuck up on her and threatened her sanity. It was in the penitentiary that she also learned about love and grace.

Felicia Pearson's story is engaging and real. She does not want readers to feel sorry for her and I applaud her for that. She wants to tell her story because it is a story of hope for souls lost in street life; especially children's souls. Written in a matter-of-fact way, she simply explains the mindset of a child that is not quite lost but falls prey to what feels right even though it is wrong; gangster life. Her demeanor in a bar is what got her recognized for the role of "Snoop" in The Wire but it is not your everyday rise to fame. Yet, she offers hope. She offers a glimpse into someone's life who was born to die but did not. She triumphed over what appeared to be her destiny and wanted to give others a small glimpse into what can happen, even if not very often. The more I read, the more I wanted. The conversational tone of the book was very comforting and easy to read. The language was simple yet complex because it stirred my emotions. Something about Pearson's eyes on the cover made me want to know her. I recommend Grace After Midnight to readers who enjoy autobiographies, memoirs, urban fiction fans, and teenagers who think street life is the only life.

Reviewed by Darnetta Frazier
APOOO BookClub

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't be any more blown away if I ran into Chris and Snoop in a dark alley. October 20, 2007

By NaughtiLiterati VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This is one of the most honest and titillating autobiographies that I have read in a long time. Now - who doesn't love The Wire, but especially what Snoop brings to the show? If Stephen King calls you the most frightening villain ever to appear in a television series, you are definitely doing something right.

Here, we learn about the man behind the character (LOL) and the life that she endured to get to where she is today - from the rough streets of Baltimore to 4 years in jail, then back to the streets after playing it straight works against her because of her conviction, to the meeting with Michael K. Williams that was divine timing and made her the star she is today.

It is not a pretty story; at times it is awful, but she made it. And she can speak her truth and be proud. That's what I loved most about this book, she is unapologetic about who she is, HOW she is and where she has come from. She doesn't glorify her past, and she was able to save herself through GRACE before it was too late.

This is a quick, riveting and rewarding read that makes you almost hear her reading it to you and I HIGHLY recommend it. Kudos to the co-author's subtlety that makes this book a knockout!!!