Better, Not Bitter: Living on Purpose in the Pursuit of Racial Justice

"Yusef Salaam was only 15 years old when he and four other children were falsely accused of the brutal rape of a Central Park jogger. Despite this horrific miscarriage of justice, Salaam’s memoir, Better, Not Bitter: Living on Purpose in the Pursuit of Racial Justice, is one of astounding warmth. His incarceration doesn’t keep Salaam from experiencing encouragement and gratitude, but he doesn’t shy away from the pain of he endured either. His book is a powerful counter to the more than 400 articles vilifying the teens in 1989 and illuminates just how badly the American justice system can fail."