2 Books Published by PENDIUM Publishing on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

This is a journey through my life where being intelligent and following the didactic spiritual teachings of my parents got me laughed at and teased until I adopted and embraced a thug mentality. I became a prisoner of my mind by seeking to please and to gain acceptance from others. Chasing a masked lifestyle that was opposed to my God-given potential, I was no different from the millions of people who chase materialistic things, lifestyles, and religions to please their parents, friends, or partners. Most of these people wake up unhappy, unfulfilled, and unable to identify the person reflecting back in their bathroom mirror. I was that person for many years, but I transformed and this book will inspire you to transform and unmask your true potential. Life lessons and fascinating journeys will be shared to demonstrate how I unmasked and went from a thug to a scholar.

The author, Ronald Rawlings, carries you through the many pitfalls and the countless amounts of times he was devastated by discrimination and life’s setbacks in the South because he’s Black, and because he wanted to be a cop. The book then turns into a self-motivational piece because he was able to persevere all of the roadblocks, stereotypes, and the negativity that goes along with being raised by a single black mother with several kids in the South. The main message from the book is that education is the key, education is a roadmap, but it does not trump racism in the South.