"At age sixteen, Brian Banks was a happy, popular high school junior--and a nationally recruited All-American Football player, ranked eleventh in the nation as a linebacker. But before his seventeenth birthday, he was in jail, awaiting trial on charges of a heinous sexual assault he did not commit. As a young black man accused of rape, he faced almost certain conviction. Despite being innocent, Brian took a plea and was sentenced as an adult to six years in prison. At first, Brian was filled with hopelessness and anger at the unjust system that had imprisoned him. Surrounded by darkness, he had an epiphany that would change his life. What follows is the story of a remarkable young man who is determined to prove his innocence and recapture the future that was taken from him, refusing to allow his circumstances to destroy him. This powerful memoir is an unflinching portrait of the failings of America's judicial system, a soul-stirring celebration of the resilience of the human spirit, and an inspiring call to hold fast to our dreams."--Dust jacket.