In the World

A harrowing, funny, and "fascinating memoir" of navigating life after prison—with an unexpected Hollywood ending (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
Following his memoirs Smuggler's Blues and Kingpin—which recounted his criminal career in the Hippie Mafia and his eight-year journey through the criminal justice system—Richard Stratton now recounts his return to civilian life, as a convicted felon who'd been forced to confront his demons and an aspiring writer who yearned to make his mark.
From parole to Hollywood to marriage and fatherhood, he found his way in the free world. Working in the New York office of a criminal defense attorney, he somehow adhered to the stringent conditions of his release not to associate with other felons. When his prison novel Smack Goddess was published, his mentor, Norman Mailer, entered his life again. Going to Hollywood to consult on a documentary, he became a writer and producer, and...