winner — Most Life Changing Book for 2008, IPPY Awards
The stories are of ex-convicts, recovered drug addicts and former gang members who were able to break the cycle of violence and addiction in their lives and re-create themselves as successful artists in Hollywood. Their stories are told through a series of astonishingly candid quotes.
The dramatic black and white photographs are of faces, many of them recognizable; among them hip hop artist Coolio, actor Danny Trejo, writer Jerry Stahl, actor Eric Roberts, writer Antwone Fisher, actor John Wesley, Hollywood agent Manny Jimenez, BMX superstar Rick Thorne, musician Ms. Toi, actor Emilio Rivera, tattoo artist Mr. Cartoon, actor Seymour Cassel and activist Gilbert Salinas.
The book contains 38 portraits in all.
Mugshots is divided into ten chapters. Each chapter represents a moment in life, perhaps a choice point, common to all of those profiled in the book. In this way, the design of the book also crafts and aids in the storytelling.
These are redemption stories and while many of them differ in their details, they are cleverly woven together to tell one unifying story, “a hero's journey.” The foreword is written by Oscar nominee, actor and writer, Edward Bunker, the inspiration for the book, who unfortunately passed away before its release.