Rick Klau reviewed A Second Chance by Catherine Hoke
Review of 'A Second Chance' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
(Disclaimer: I'm on the board of Defy's Bay Area chapter, and have known Cat for a couple years. I consider her a friend, and am grateful for her leadership.)
To visit a prison with Cat Hoke is to have your eyes opened to a national tragedy. Mass incarceration - the reality that while the US is home to just 5% of the world's population, we're home to nearly 25% of the world's prisoners - is a national crisis. Three of every four people who leave prison will return some day, often within a couple years.
Cat's goal is to end that in her lifetime. Her book is a chronicle of her journey, a testament to her commitment, and proof that for those who are willing, change and second chances are possible. I've witnessed first-hand the life-affirming nature of Defy Ventures' days in prison, and have listened to Cat's passion lift …
(Disclaimer: I'm on the board of Defy's Bay Area chapter, and have known Cat for a couple years. I consider her a friend, and am grateful for her leadership.)
To visit a prison with Cat Hoke is to have your eyes opened to a national tragedy. Mass incarceration - the reality that while the US is home to just 5% of the world's population, we're home to nearly 25% of the world's prisoners - is a national crisis. Three of every four people who leave prison will return some day, often within a couple years.
Cat's goal is to end that in her lifetime. Her book is a chronicle of her journey, a testament to her commitment, and proof that for those who are willing, change and second chances are possible. I've witnessed first-hand the life-affirming nature of Defy Ventures' days in prison, and have listened to Cat's passion lift up a room full of men who were convinced that society had given up on them.
The book is also a challenge to the reader to ask whether you're living your best life, and if not, why not. Cat forces you to think hard about what your purpose is, what your goals are, and if you're not meeting them, demands that you think hard about why. Through her own struggle, she helps you see what you are capable of.
I'm grateful that our paths crossed, I'm grateful to have had my own world view changed forever by Cat's passion. And I'm thrilled that with this book she will inspire so many more to make the world a better, more just, place.