Author(s): Paul Wood

Biography | NZ Non Fiction

As an 18-year-old, Dr Paul Wood was completely off the rails. He wasn't coping with the impending death of his mother, he was dependent on drugs, and was an unemployed high-school dropout committing crimes to feed his habit. Two days after his mother died he lost control when his then drug dealer attempted to assault him. He then spent 11 years in some of New Zealand's toughest prisons. But after a series of remarkable events, including a enlightening encounter with a criminal safe-cracker, Paul became the first person in New Zealand to progress through undergraduate studies to attain a bachelor's and master's degree in prison, and was the first person to begin a doctorate while still incarcerated. In this awe-inspiring book, Dr Paul Wood shares his life of crime, his time behind bars and his pathway to freedom.