This is a self-help / motivational & inspirational book for people in jail or prison that are doing time and have decided to make the change to go straight. It is written in autobiography/memoir form. Casey Odland was brought up into a life of privilege. A privilege he threw away often. Criminal activity started at an early age with the first arrest at age twelve in 1970. In 1974 he was arrested nineteen times and beat all the charges in court. A ward of the court from 1970 till 1975 when at age seventeen he became an emancipated minor getting his first taste of pure capitalism and ending up homeless for nine months. A robbery conviction landed him in prison in 1978. Upon release in 1980 he vowed to never return to criminal activity and was never arrested again. Within three years of being released he started a business from scratch in direct relation to a vocational trade he’d taken in prison, thanks to the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation. The business became very successful. Along the way he encountered every obstacle in usual fashion (head-on and without a clue), always learning on the back-end the proper way to tackle a problem. This book is written in the vernacular of prison language, street life, and the everyday person. It is very entertaining reading for anyone and, it is also a learning tool for inmates about what to do when they are released into society. It will help you stay out of trouble and thrive. This book becomes part of an ex-cons personal property. It’s just that important. After reading this self help/motivational book you should have the confidence to start your own business. It will help you deal with the IRS, bankruptcy, safe investments, insurance, divorce, dating, health, nutrition, and it will show you empathy and give you hope for your future. When you run into one of life’s many pitfalls, don’t let it become a disaster. Read this book and use it as a roadmap and a reference guide. Why stumble around for over thirty years after you are released like Casey did. With this book you are holding your future in your hands. It will change and improve your life and help you succeed. Anyone reading this book can master their financial present, future, and retirement dreams on a level they couldn’t have previously without this information. Casey Odland lives with his wife Joyce, his Italian Princess and the love of his life in La Grange, California. Enjoy - Casey.
I wrote "The Ex-Con and the Italian Princess" to give inmates a chance when they are released from prison. In California the recidivism rate is 65% approximately. That means two out of every three inmates that are released, two are going back. That is a horrible and unacceptable number. With all the new inmates coming into system, how long before we are all locked up? I got out of prison in 1980. I was never arrested again. I willed myself to "Go Straight." I wish I would have had my book to read before I got out in 1980 because I would be a millionaire now, and I wouldn't have made all the mistakes I made since I got out, and my life would have been a lot more enjoyable and rewarding.
But that's the way it goes. If you have a loved one on probation, parole, in jail or prison and you want to really help them, get them my book. It could make all the difference in the world. I also work with youth at risk at continuation high schools and also work with group homes and any other type of incarceration facility. On my website there is a "Help an inmate" tab that makes it easy for you to get my book from the manufacturer to your loved one.
