r. dwayne betts. . . in criticism and it's another we into tonight's program i want to read the ending to his beautiful s.a., the book as a container of consciousness. and when we read, with our timber entirely attuned to the text for, we become our heads, we become the best book of all. where the words are now played and we are the page where the rest and we are the hall where they are heard and we are by god belleek in our mind is moving in that moment thomas brown about and rm, our g8 speed grades and it can't be so wrong to be feared or sent away. the loss of loved but over for a our tragic act continually regreted not when they prompt such clients, not when our rendering brings them together in a rare community of if joy. please help me in joining critical welcoming of fiction and critic. [applause] >> thank you, robert, thanks to the new school, thanks to everyone for coming to the national book critics circle ceremony for the best books of 2009. this is our 36th annual celebration of literature. i

r. dwayne betts is the author of a question of freedom. tell us about your story. >> guest: the shorter version is when i was 16 i thought a-share was locked up if i was guilty spent eight and a half years in prison and the book is about how that prepared me to be a future husband and father and a set myself up for the life that i've lived now. >> host: what changed for you in the present? >> guest: a lot of stuff exchange but i spent my years in prison with my formative years so i had to work harder than i had to work harder to accomplish my goals of i have any shot. before prison i thought i could make certain mistakes that i should have known would affect -- affect maybe i did not realize they would follow me forever. >> host: how did you get to a point* where you carjacked somebody at 16? >> guest: that is the hardest question people ask me been a lot of ways it is the easiest to answer. think of all of the city's of lack of resources but i never thought anybody who had achieved the things i wanted to achieve. not to say that is reason

r. dwayne betts is the author of "a question of freedom."tell us what your story is. >> well, i guess the show version of the story is when i was 16 it carjacked someone, and then the next day i got locked up. -eight and a half years in prison. in the book is really about how the a and a half years in prison repaired me to be a poet, teacher, husband father. so it's that myself up for the life i live now to back what change for your interest in? >> i think a lot of stuff change. i spent my formative years in prison, from 16 to 24. so maybe i took of a change is sort of me realizing that i had to work harder than i had worked before to accomplish goals that i had come if i had any shot of the publishing those goals. and before, before prison i thought i could coast by way through to a successful life and i thought i could make certain mistakes that i should've known what have known would affect me for ever and i just did realize they would affect me and follow me forever. >> how is it that you got to point were you carjacked summary at age 16