Summary

Albert Woodfox was born in New Orleans on February 19, 1947. His mother was 17, and his father, also young, left. Years later, his mother, Ruby Edwards, fell in love and married James B. Mable. Mable was a chef in the navy, and Woodfox spent his early years growing up in different naval bases. When Woodfox was 11, Mable retired from the navy, and they moved full time to the grandparents’ farm in La Granga, North Carolina. Mable’s demeanor changed, and he began to be abusive towards Ruby. Fearing for her life, Ruby takes the children she can and moves in with her brother in New Orleans. At 28, Ruby did what she could to keep her children fed, working as a barmaid and prostitute. Woodfox shoplifts bread and canned goods, and he and his siblings do all the chores to help the family.

In Chapter 2 Woodfox...