THE SECOND CHANCE CLUB Hardship and Hope After Prison

Narrator Jacques Roy inhabits the conversational style, quiet anger, and wry humor of Jason Hardy's memoir of working as a probation officer in New Orleans. Hardy was responsible for more than 200 cases at a time--an impossible task--but he focuses on seven individuals with convictions related to illegal drugs. The author recognizes his privileges in the game of life--all he had to do was show up, work hard, and say "thank you." But these men and women had fewer opportunities growing up and now, with a criminal record, they struggle even more to access decent paying jobs, health care, and basic shelter. Roy employs a slightly sardonic tone overlaid with a constant note of empathy that expertly matches Hardy's prose. Hardy presents an important argument for American society providing second chances to ex-offenders. A.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2020]