Inner City Miracle (Hardcover)

by Greg Mathis (Author) "Some folks love to slap a rags-to-riches tag on me, as though that somehow explains who I am and what I'm about..." (more)
Key Phrases: Herman Gardens, Eastern Michigan, Prairie Street (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Underprivileged black boys desperate to rise above their circumstances can benefit greatly from such institutions as school, the army, government social programs and the judicial system as well as a knowledge of options, according to Mathis, himself a kid criminal and gangland thug growing up in Detroit's devastated projects. His turnaround came in 1977, when he heard Jesse Jackson speak. Mathis was 17 years old, and Jackson's advice struck a chord. "Your heart is in the right place, but to win young people's minds and souls, you've got to have ammunition," Jackson told him privately, after his speech. "A year from now, I want to hear what you've done to improve yourself.... We got a deal?" With the help of his single mother's Seventh Day Adventist discipline, his wife-to-be's book-hitting habits and many mentors, Mathis eventually studied his way into law school, passed the bar, toiled in Michigan politics, was elected a judge and landed a syndicated TV show, Judge Mathis. His membership in multiple social classes has helped him forge his practical insight into human nature into an organized story about a hero's trajectory. Mathis and coauthor Walker poetically render the rhythms of street language, at least to those who don't speak it, and fairly present Mathis's sometimes testosterone-driven male attitude, making this an honest feel-good story. Mathis's parable from the projects explores a world that will be crucially familiar to many and offers a way to reach poor teens who rightly feel misunderstood and underrepresented in the mainstream. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Mathis, a former Detroit district court judge, shares stories of his upbringing in a strict household with a mother who worked several jobs to support her four sons. He also reveals that he lived on both sides of the law, eventually escaping to become Michigan's youngest judge ever.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: One World/Ballantine; 1 edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345446429
• ISBN-13: 978-0345446428
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #195,220 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overcoming the odds, January 23, 2003

By	The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

Inner City Miracle is the story of Judge Gregory Mathis , his quest to become the man his mother knew he could be and rise above his upbringing in the mean streets of Detroit. Since he and his brothers were raised by a single mother who worked two jobs to support her family, the brothers had a lot of unsupervised free time. Free time and growing up in the projects don't mix and Greg as he liked to be called, often found himself in some kind of trouble.

He felt that his thuggish lifestyle provided him with excitement and friends and it appeared that he would grow up as a product of the streets. Things changed dramatically when his mother became terminally ill. It is at that point Greg decides that for the sake of his mother that he will turn his life around.

Greg Mathis and Blair S. Walker have written a raw, gritty and inspirational memoir that will encourage and empower those who read it. Though the odds were against, Greg persevered and he is now a well respected judge and a popular television personality. Judge Mathis does not sugarcoat his story at all and I feel that will allow readers to appreciate this book even more.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Miracles Do Happen In The Innercity, April 10, 2003

By	Wanda Robinson (Stevenson Ranch, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I was originally drawn to this book about Greg Mathis because while in an airport traveling from Chicago back to LA, I happened to catch his tv show. I was impressed by his style in the courtroom so when I heard that he had written a book about his story, I thought let me pick it up. I had no idea about his background so at first I was physically afraid of this young Greg Mathis in which his book went on to described. I continued to read because I kept thinking when is the miracle going to happen. I was not sure that he would ever become anything more than what he was at the time, a thug and a criminal. Finally, more than half way through the book, the miracle happened and I found myself rooting for the young man, Greg Mathis. In short, his story touched my heart in a different way. Although I'm an african american women and grew up in Chicago during the 1960s and 1970s. The life that Judge Mathis described in his book was foreign to me. But I was so impressed with his determination, preseverance, hard work and his ability to never give up. While I don't have a lot of street smarts I found myself thinking perhaps I had been more judgmental in my past about the young boys who grew up in the project because I totally saw the change in Judge Mathis in this book. I'm glad that I read it and have been sharing with others that it is definitely a must read for all ages. The bottom line is anybody can be anything they want to be if they work at it and become discipline. Kudos to Judge Mathis and other african american males who have decided to allow the miracle to happen in their lives.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration to All, December 29, 2002

By	Smootchez "smootchez" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

Greg Mathis' life story is amazing! "Inner City Miracle" explains the reason I'm such a big fan of Judge Mathis' court TV show. This book is told by Mathis from the heart - no effort is made to sugar coat the bad decisions he made throughout his youth. In addition, Mathis frankly discusses his political views, his relationship with his wife, what he didn't like about the justice system that lead him to being a Detroit judge, and so much more.