A Great Story, not so great book flow

From the up close cover photo to the brutal honest portrayal of a man who comes from utter brokenness, Lecrae's autobiography is raw and authentic.  With that being said, the book is difficult to read as it does not necessarily follow a chronological order of the artist's life.  The storytelling seems as fragmented as the life that it is portraying.  For example, the chapter entitled A Fragmented Life ends with the recently suicidal high school senior author in his room surrounded by broken glass and torn pages of a bible after being talked down from his roof by the police: the following chapter begins with the author sharing about considering college before his junior year in high school.  The chapters in the book seem to lack continuity. It is a story of redemption and that in itself may be worth the effort it takes to read.  Redemption first from a life of poverty, streets, violence and missed opportunities to redemption from legalistic Christianity.  It is also a story about a brilliant young man who craved community and a place where he belonged yet fueled by rejection, negative influences and insecurities struggled to find his place in this world.  But the strongest message that the author shares is that HE NEVER GIVES UP! And it is also a story about God.  For God continued to meet Lecrae, over and over again.  So for someone caught in the world that Lecrae rises up from, the book may be the very message they need to break from their cycle of destruction.  By the end of the book, it appears that Lecrae has found his platform and calling:  to be a change artist spreading the message that "He(God) wants to change lives and industries and society."  The color photos of the author's life allow a touching glimpse into some of the more tender moments of Lecrae's childhood and young adulthood. On the other hand, the handwriting of his song lyrics that are filtered throughout the book are difficult to read and some interpretation would have been helpful for this reader who is not from his cultural background.