Split Decision: Life Stories

In this two-voice memoir cowritten by Douglas Century (coauthor, Under and Alone), rapper and actor Ice-T and his friend Spike look back on the choices that led them down different paths. Living for the moment, the two robbed Los Angeles jewelry stores. However, Ice-T started to get into the music industry and realized that if he didn’t go straight, he would be jeopardizing his future. Meanwhile, Spike, an aspiring musician himself, continued masterminding heists until 1992, when one ended tragically and he was sentenced to 35 years to life in the California detention system. While Ice-T recalls his rise in music, film, and television, Spike discusses his journey to self-discovery and redemption, which eventually led to his parole after more than 20 years in prison. The dual narrative is compelling and reflective. Ice-T and Spike give voice to growing up in Los Angeles in the 1970s and 1980s, amid gang violence, with few ways out of poverty. Although readers know how life turns out for each narrator, they’ll still root for both Spike and Ice-T and share in their joys, fears, struggles, and triumphs.