You Next

You Next!, is a story of a young man's life in his teenage and early adult years of living. This story is unique because of it intimate look in the mind of a average black male who without mentoring or a college education finds a way to position himself for success. The beginning of the book gives the background of a young man who is and average child growing up in the high crime, culturally rich, City of New Orleans. Throughout his teenage years he is exposed to different ways of living, good and bad, and eventually finds himself ricocheting from good opportunities in stable environments, to bad situations and harsh consequences. He went to school in a good neighbor hood as an elementary student and went to a low quality school as a middle school student. He was able to good to school at a high quality institution as a high school student but because of his learned behavior as a thug in the previous middle school location was expel and sent to a lesser quality school in another low income neighborhood. As the main character survives being an inner city teenager by not spending a large amount of time in jail or being murdered in the volatile streets of New Orleans, he completes high school and finds himself headed to college. The Author then tells of his experience as a young adult beginning a life as an individual solely responsible for himself in a city two hours west on New Orleans, Lafayette, LA. This is where the young man starts the next phase of his life as a college student at The University of Lafayette LA. Over a course of five years the young man goes through what millions of young adults go through as they are force to think and do for their selves, figure out how they can live a good life. The book takes you on a ride as you witness this young man's cycle of good opportunity and bad use of it continues from his teen years. These are the years that he really begins to understand that he is making some bad decision and needs to make some serious changes if he is to have a decent life. After years of heartache with first trying to complete college, then failing at being a rap star he decides to search for different opportunities in the city of Atlanta, Ga. Now in his late twenties, he starts to do something that he encourages everyone to do, read self-empowerment and business motivation books. From reading these books he began to understand principles and laws that successful people practiced in order to achieve their goals. With no college degree or licensed trade he struggled for a couple years working low paying, jobs to help make ends meet. Finally after being in this new city for 2 years, he got the idea to revert to an old skill that he had as a child, cutting hair. This idea was presented by a neighbor that noticed he keep a decent haircut and wanted to know who his barber was. When he explained to the neighbor that he cut his own hair, it was suggested that he find a barber that he could do an apprenticeship with. From that moment his life would never be the same. Being a major part of his journey, the author details the young man's experience as a barbers apprentice by sharing barber client situations that reveals the thinking and actions of typical and atypical black males across the United States. From these barbershop stories that are narrated by the main character, you'll begin to learn the principles and lessons taught in self-help and business motivation books that lead him to his vision of the person that he desired to be for so many years, a successful businessman.