A Place To Stand Review

Dr. Baca's story, A Place To Stand is very inspirational.  I enjoyed reading it from cover to cover.  It just shows no matter how hard a person's life is, they can always turn it around with the right mind set and ambition.

Jimmy Santiago Baca was in and out of jail since he was a teenager (13, I believe it was).  He had a rough childhood, one many people do not bounce back from.  In prison, he brutally beat a guy up with an angle iron.  He felt so bad that everyday after, he asked the guards if the man was okay.  The guards were such assholes and kept telling him, "That's for me to know, and you to find out" (Baca, 124).  This part was my favorite.  Not only did it have violence (I love violence), but he also showed humility and regret afterwards.  The only reason he did that was because the other inmate was going to use a metal pipe to do the same.  I was in the Marine Corps and the motto is, "Kill, or be killed."  I totally understand his reasoning for doing what he did, and would have reacted in the same exact way.

Being illiterate his whole life, and learning how to read and write while in prison is impressive.  That part is what stuck out to me most.  Then to come out of prison, earn a GED, bachelors degree, doctorate, and become an accomplished poet/novelist really puts perspective on what kind of character Dr. Baca has.

Jimmy today is doing quite a bit to give back to the community.  He conducts writing workshops in prisons, libraries, and many more.  In 2005, he created the non-profit organization Cedar Tree Inc. which gives people the opportunity to become more educated and improve their life.  I love reading about people who are more fortunate, give back to communities that are not.

His story is remarkable and I recommend this book to anyone.  This book will really open a person's eyes as to how hard their life really isn't; or if it is this hard, how anyone can overcome the obstacles that life throws their way.