<B>Detailing the haunting past of Robert Beck, known to the streets as Iceberg Slim, these essays tackle the idea of hope: the possibility to veer off course in life and then to change for the better.</B><P>While bringing brutal and difficult-to-swallow tales from the underground, this book exposes the author’s inner workings unlike any of Iceberg Slim’s other works. His tough exterior evolves into a straight-out, heartfelt confession.<P> <P>As if Iceberg Slim’s captivating, rough words weren’t enough to evoke the essence of this time in his life—the L.A. underground of the 1960s—each character carries their own baggage, struggle, and influence on Iceberg’s vision of the world.<P> <P>These tales serve as a chilling reminder that we are all still inmates of one prison or another, and the time to break free has arrived.