REASONS BEYOND MYSELF

In this debut memoir, a boy overcomes hardships including abandonment and homelessness on his path to adulthood.

Sims-Johnson was born into poverty and raised by a single mother. He spent his early years in a small Illinois town with his mom and his older brother, Justin. Their living arrangements were sometimes dour, involving sleeping in church vans or at homeless shelters. But his life took an even greater turn when he was 12 and his mother sent him and Justin to live with their grandmother. Though the boy expected to see his mom again in two weeks, she would be gone for years. Family members were reluctant to take him in, forcing him to bounce around Illinois, St. Louis, and Texas. Sims-Johnson was, at any given time, alone, homeless, and without food for days. While his relatives could be cruel, Justin, though not always by his side, was his constant protector. Sims-Johnson at times had to rely on strangers’ generosity or sheer acts of kindness. That, coupled with the growing boy’s tenacity and brainpower, gave him the strength to become a police officer and to protect others. The author unflinchingly portrays his tribulations; family members physically assaulted him or kicked the boy out of their home in the early morning hours. Sims-Johnson, who’s Black, was bullied by White and Black kids alike. The book is nevertheless uplifting, as Sims-Johnson’s positivity is infectious. Even as a child, he rarely held grudges, and in his later years he willingly forgave those who’d wronged him. His unadorned, easygoing prose zeroes in on the good, such as how he managed to persevere through each of the misfortunes he faced and eventually take control of his own life. Though this book completes his personal journey, the author plans two sequels that will focus on subjects that include his teenage years and some of his family’s stories.

One man’s resolve and buoyancy make for a remarkable, insightful autobiography.