Kindle Edition Amazon Amazon Amazon U.S. Author page Amazon U.K. Author page Category:  Crime Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 74 Copyright: Sept 29, 2011 The author, Glenn Langohr spent 10 years inside the most violent prisons in California on drug charges. He paints the culture into words and takes you on a journey into the belly of the beast where in this instance, a gun tower guard instigates a gang war and uses his rifle to fire unholy justice. B.J struggles to allow his emotions to leave his prison cell in a search for his wife. Then the struggles to survive prison politics begin where races are segregated and violence and gangs are the calling card. Notorious mobster, Bat, has a hit out on him for not paying street taxes...The gun tower guard Hernandez has a hit out on him for staging gladiator wars and B.J is faced with the problem of a race war in between... Mexican Mafia in motion...   Excerpt CHAP 1 I had to put pen to paper and write my beautiful wife. It wasn't easy to write and not think about her at the same time. Questions riddled my brain like a tornado with, is she OK? Does she still live at the same address? Is she still going to church? WHY HAVEN'T I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM HER? I got a letter from her a month ago saying she was being evicted, she couldn't afford the rent without me. We were paying 1,400 a month for a studio apartment in Laguna Beach, California and both working, her at Macy's in dresses and me as a waiter at a Bistro, we were both going to church and everything was great, until I got violated for parole for not reporting a change of address fast enough. I started writing. My beautiful wife: I pray this reaches you in God's Hands. It sucks here without you, but it would suck anywhere without you! Please write me and let me know you're OK, if you get this...I love you more than words can express and treasure you and our memories and look forward to those yet to come. 90 more days, hang on! Your always faithful loving husband... CHAP 2 My cell mate Damon was watching me agonize over the letter and knew I'd be done quick, unable to allow my heart to feel like a sponge getting squeezed dry. We had to be calloused. Emotions couldn't play a part in this part of our life, there wasn't room for it. Much like a Marine on duty in hostile enemy territory, surviving life in a California level 4 prison wasn't the place for missing a loved one where calculated killers roamed the cell block and gun tower guards with rifles staged gladiator wars and fired unholy justice. The pressure was relentless. "She's alright. You have a gorgeous, strong willed wife who is loyal and loves you like no other. How could she not, you're a freak of nature. Don't let your mind tell you otherwise." I studied Damon standing 2 feet away from my bottom bunk. At 6'3 and 230 lbs of shredded muscle from 20 years worth of California prison race war training, tattoos covered his body. His stomach had his nickname in block letters, ROTT, his chest was covered with a banner of prison ink displaying a gambling scene with an Ace of Spades flying off a table, and there was some more ink spilling over his shoulders. The most endearing thing about him visually as a friend from the beach in Orange County, California and these California prisons we kept meeting in, was the way his big, bald, shaped like a bullet head, sat on the rest of his long lanky frame. Underneath his bullet head his forehead creased into wrinkles and pale blue eyes were lasers of scrutiny. The whole package always made me laugh. "I know she'll always be down for me, but my mind isn't right, I've always felt like a needy insecure orphan. I just hope she's alright and isn't getting lost without me." Damon tilted his bullet head back and half closed his eyes in a look that told me I was out of my mind and then gave me his classic laugh that sounded like, "Up up up up." I knew my time was up to think about the outside world, my 5 minutes of leaving the cell in a letter was over. It was time to study the cell block again where we always have issues that kill 24 hours a day, 7 days a week all year every year. Damon accelerated me back into our gladiator world, "We’re still on lockdown, the Mexicans are going to kill one of theirs soon and we have a White crip on the way we have to deal with any day now." I said, "You forgot something as usual. The gun tower guard Hernandez has a Mexican mafia hit out on him."

Prisoners Pitted Against Each Other
I had heard about the gladiator wars at a Prison called Corcoron in California and didn't think it was possible for guards or prison staff to set up fights. After reading this book I can see how it could happen. I still don't believe it is intentionally prevalent, but it does to appear it happens in isolated cases. That being said, this book uncovers a darker side of prison life that must be removed. We need to change our prison system in California to stop this and actually prepare prisoners to change their life.

Life inside the most violent California prison
This piece of work reminded me of the Gladiator wars that went on at Corcoran Prison in the 1990's where guards staged rival gang member blood baths and shot the winners after taking bets! A thrilling look inside of prison and the constant pressure the inmates are under.

Amazing Characters!,
Gladiator is a fast paced thriller and the characters come to life! It starts with a letter where B.J is looking for his wife and then you find out he is in prison. An emotional rollercoaster. Bat, one of the characters comes off the pages.