Justin Rollins – författare

For those who equate graffiti tagging with the cosy quirkiness of Banksy or the colourful artistry of wasteground murals - this book will be a real eye-opener. 'The Lost Boyz documents Justin's road to change and redemption. This is the story of almost feral youth, spraying their mark on the urban chaos of pre-millennium London. A story of what it's like to grow up as a confused and mentally unstable child of mixed race in a predominantly white area. A story of mental torture, racism and extreme violence. The Lost Boyz takes the reader through the dirty back streets and dark alleys of south London where vicious gangs of graffiti taggers fought an all-out turf war that left many victims and casualties in its wake. The Lost Boyz squandered their youth in a nihilistic rush towards oblivion. And some did not survive the journey. Justin Rollins was one of the lucky ones...He spent years in prison before managing to wrest back some control over his life. Now in his mid 20s Justin is a changed man, hardly recognisable (both physically and mentally) to the youth I first met. He now has a young daughter of his own and is reconciled with the family he once felt so distant from.He no longer drinks or takes drugs, and nor does he see himself as separate from the rest of society. In writing this book, which was a long and painful journey for him, Justin hopes to lay his ghosts of the past to rest. And if it serves as a warning to even one kid who may be starting out on the same road, then it is a job well done': Noel 'Razor' Smith, crime writer (from the Foreword) .

Justin Rollins has a remarkable ability. His poems emerge not from agonising over a blank sheet of paper, but in rap-like fashion, in full-flow and in their complete form. This collection takes the reader on a journey on which those familiar with his autobiographical The Lost Boyz will recognise the landmarks. But this is fresh and captivating work. It deals with the everyday effects of disadvantage, the tensions of wealth and poverty, freedom and incarceration with glimpses of a sometimes dark past, motivational now and uncertain though optimistic future. What registers is Rollins' eye for detail, the telling remark, the eccentric, the absurd, clandestine places and parallel realities. Much of this is driven by his years living on the streets chasing excitement to compensate for the lack of a conventional upbringing. The result is a raw journey captured in snapshots of street crimes, survival, pain and the author's travels on the Northern Line.Extracts From 'Street Wise' - Some boys played with toy cars We played with metal bars And set fires On the way to becoming the lads All the traits of a psychopath They visited museums and studied from books We bunked history and became hooked Snotty-nosed kids slowly becoming crooks. From 'Cameron's Kids' - See we wasn't born with riches Luxury food on tap ...I was born guilty Brought up in those flats So when you drive on by Just give us a bib Cameron what would you do If this was your kid?

A rare first-hand account of disaffected youth. Contains countless lessons for young people who might be attracted to crime (and anyone involved with them socially or professionally). Aged just fourteen and using the name ‘Sevens’, the author went from being a bullied child to leader of the Warriorz, a group of London street kids involved in graffiti-tagging and other crimes including a series of violent encounters. Eventually given a substantial custodial sentence for an attack with a meat cleaver on the London Underground, Justin Rollins became determined to steer other young people away from such a life. The Lost Boyz tells the story of his descent into a form of madness in which self-destruction, anger, wanton behaviour and fear lie at the core. Not before has a book taken the reader so far inside the minds of troubled youths as the author and his companions—some of whom did not survive or also ended up in prison—gradually realise that there is no easy escape from their chaotic lifestyle. Their need to gain respect from and stay credible with each other stems from offending, alienation, living on the margins of society and crazy behaviour—all of which serve as barriers to rejoining the normal world and going straight. The book contains countless lessons for young people who might be attracted to crime just as it does for anyone interested in youth offending, gang culture, criminology, mental health issues or that period of modern English social History when the unofficial decoration of walls, fences, trains and buses became a telling symbol of disaffected youth.