Justin Rollins

Justin Rollins' acclaimed The Lost Boyz (below) traced the author's early life on the streets. Ten years on, this new book describes how he did time in adult prisons and experienced other challenges including trauma, associated fears, flashbacks and fixations. It traces the origins of his anxiety, obsessive compulsive behaviour, complex post-traumatic stress and other life-limiting conditions. It tells of the violence and abuse in his past and explains how this drove many of his actions. Fast paced and readable as any novel, the book describes how the author overcame 'locked-in' thinking and a violent lifestyle to become not just law-abiding but an acknowledged expert on street crime, gangs, drugs and youth culture. It will be of interest to a wide range of people working with disadvantaged young people and those confronted by mental health issues and/or affected by 'ghosts' from the past.

Justin Rollins has a remarkable ability. His poems emerge not from agonising over a blank sheet of paper, but in rap-like fashion, in full-flow and in their complete form. This collection takes the reader on a journey on which those familiar with his autobiographical The Lost Boyz will recognise the landmarks. But this is fresh and captivating work. It deals with the everyday effects of disadvantage, the tensions of wealth and poverty, freedom and incarceration with glimpses of a sometimes dark past, motivational now and uncertain though optimistic future. What registers is Rollins' eye for detail, the telling remark, the eccentric, the absurd, clandestine places and parallel realities. Much of this is driven by his years living on the streets chasing excitement to compensate for the lack of a conventional upbringing. The result is a raw journey captured in snapshots of street crimes, survival, pain and the author's travels on the Northern Line. Extracts From 'Street Wise' - Some boys played with toy cars We played with metal bars And set fires On the way to becoming the lads All the traits of a psychopath They visited museums and studied from books We bunked history and became hooked Snotty-nosed kids slowly becoming crooks. From 'Cameron's Kids' - See we wasn't born with riches Luxury food on tap ...I was born guilty Brought up in those flats So when you drive on by Just give us a bib Cameron what would you do If this was your kid?

For those who equate graffiti tagging with the cosy quirkiness of Banksy or the colourful artistry of wasteground murals - this book will be a real eye-opener. 'The Lost Boyz documents Justin's road to change and redemption. This is the story of almost feral youth, spraying their mark on the urban chaos of pre-millenium London. A story of what it's like to grow up as a confused and mentally unstable child of mixed race in a predominantly white area. A story of mental torture, racism and extreme violence. The Lost Boyz takes the reader through the dirty back streets and dark alleys of south London where vicious gangs of graffiti taggers fought an all-out turf war that left many victims and casualties in its wake. The Lost Boyz squandered their youth in a nihilistic rush towards oblivion. And some did not survive the journey. Justin Rollins was one of the lucky ones...He spent years in prison before managing to wrest back some control over his life. Now in his mid 20s Justin is a changed man, hardly recognisable (both physically and mentally) to the youth I first met. He now has a young daughter of his own and is reconciled with the family he once felt so distant from. He no longer drinks or takes drugs, and nor does he see himself as separate from the rest of society. In writing this book, which was a long and painful journey for him, Justin hopes to lay his ghosts of the past to rest. And if it serves as a warning to even one kid who may be starting out on the same road, then it is a job well done': Noel 'Razor' Smith, crime writer (from the Foreword) .