Grace After Midnight
Encyclopedia
Grace After Midnight: A Memoir is an American 2007
autobiography
memoir
by Felicia Pearson
, with author David Ritz
credited as a contributor and co-author. The book chronicles Pearson's life in East Baltimore
, including her birth as a three-pound crack baby
, her placement into foster care and her eight-year imprisonment in Jessup
, Maryland
, from second-degree murder charges. The book also chronicles her rehabilitation and how she was cast in the HBO series The Wire
, where she played the eponymous character Felicia "Snoop" Pearson.
According to the memoir, Pearson says her life was turned around upon learning in prison that a close friend and drug dealer, whom she called "Uncle", was killed. Pearson said of her decision to write her book, "I just want to let people know where I came from ... to share my story. I know the Lord has blessed me. He gave me the power just to tell this story." The book also depicts the difficulty with which Pearson attempts to adjust to life after prison; she is fired from two jobs due to her criminal background, which drives her to return temporarily to drug dealing. During an interview about the book, she said, "Every time I turned around, they kept firing me, so where else could I turn to? The streets never let you down. That's sad to say, but what (was) I supposed to be, starving? Go to a shelter?"
Pearson said she wrote the book, "so that I won't have to keep explaining" her past and her life story. She also said she hoped she could set an example for others in her situation: "(It's) just to let people know you can make it through your trials and tribulations. ... You can make it out of it." The title refers to a religious awakening Pearson had after midnight one particular night in the Jessup prison, but she also said the word "Midnight" represents her previous life, and the word "Grace" represents her new life.
Pearson was giving a book tour for Grace After Midnight while the fifth season
of The Wire was being aired. Pearson said, "People really take this show to heart." In the book, Pearson also describes how she used her real-life experiences in her acting performances. Specifically, she said she used to help her grandfather fix houses, which helped inspire her performance in the scene which opened The Wire' s fourth season
, in which she purchases a nail-gun that would be used to help conceal her murders.
2007 in literature
The year 2007 in literature involves some significant new books.-Events:*November 19 - First Kindle e-book reader released.*December 11 - Terry Pratchett informs fans on-line that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.-Literature:...
autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
by Felicia Pearson
Felicia Pearson
Felicia Pearson is an American actress, author, and rapper. She is best known for playing a character of the same name, Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, on The Wire. She wrote a memoir titled Grace After Midnight.-Biography:Pearson was born to two incarcerated drug addicts and raised in an East Baltimore...
, with author David Ritz
David Ritz
David Ritz is an American author, most of whose books are biographies of soul music and R&B legends such as Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and Janet Jackson. On four occasions, his co-authored autobiographies of musicians have been awarded the Ralph J...
credited as a contributor and co-author. The book chronicles Pearson's life in East Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, including her birth as a three-pound crack baby
Prenatal cocaine exposure
Prenatal cocaine exposure occurs when a pregnant woman uses cocaine and thereby exposes her fetus to the drug. Crack baby was a term coined to describe children who were exposed to crack as fetuses; the concept of the crack baby emerged in the US during the 1980s and 90s in the midst of a great...
, her placement into foster care and her eight-year imprisonment in Jessup
Jessup, Maryland
Jessup is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland and Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The population was 7,865 at the 2000 census. The center of population of Maryland is located in Jessup. It was the location of Maryland House of Correction, which was one of...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, from second-degree murder charges. The book also chronicles her rehabilitation and how she was cast in the HBO series The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
, where she played the eponymous character Felicia "Snoop" Pearson.
According to the memoir, Pearson says her life was turned around upon learning in prison that a close friend and drug dealer, whom she called "Uncle", was killed. Pearson said of her decision to write her book, "I just want to let people know where I came from ... to share my story. I know the Lord has blessed me. He gave me the power just to tell this story." The book also depicts the difficulty with which Pearson attempts to adjust to life after prison; she is fired from two jobs due to her criminal background, which drives her to return temporarily to drug dealing. During an interview about the book, she said, "Every time I turned around, they kept firing me, so where else could I turn to? The streets never let you down. That's sad to say, but what (was) I supposed to be, starving? Go to a shelter?"
Pearson said she wrote the book, "so that I won't have to keep explaining" her past and her life story. She also said she hoped she could set an example for others in her situation: "(It's) just to let people know you can make it through your trials and tribulations. ... You can make it out of it." The title refers to a religious awakening Pearson had after midnight one particular night in the Jessup prison, but she also said the word "Midnight" represents her previous life, and the word "Grace" represents her new life.
Pearson was giving a book tour for Grace After Midnight while the fifth season
The Wire (season 5)
The fifth season of the television series The Wire commenced airing in the United States on January 6, 2008, and concluded on March 9, 2008; it contained 10 episodes...
of The Wire was being aired. Pearson said, "People really take this show to heart." In the book, Pearson also describes how she used her real-life experiences in her acting performances. Specifically, she said she used to help her grandfather fix houses, which helped inspire her performance in the scene which opened The Wire
The Wire (season 4)
The fourth season of the television series The Wire commenced airing in the United States on September 10, 2006, concluded on December 10, 2006, and contained 13 episodes...
, in which she purchases a nail-gun that would be used to help conceal her murders.