Minneapolis felon tries to trace his life's path in new memoir

Zeke Caligiuri wrote his memoir in prison.

He's been there for 17 years, and he'll be there for at least five more.

"This Is Where I Am" traces Caligiuri's path from his childhood in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of south Minneapolis to the crime that put him behind bars to the person he has now become.

He was raised by two loving parents and his grandmother, he writes. He should have graduated from South High in 1996. Instead, he got involved with cocaine, which led to larger crimes. In 1999, he was sentenced to 34 years for robbery and second-degree murder.

Caligiuri came of age as the city of Minneapolis was undergoing one of its worst decades of violence. Gang activity spiked around the city. The 97 homicides in 1995 set a record — the city's murder rate was worse than New York City's. It got so bad, Minneapolis was dubbed "Murderapolis."

Caligiuri joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer by phone from Minnesota's Faribault Correctional Facility to talk about his memoir, his time in prison and his hopes for his life after.

"I wrote a book because I had people that had faith that I was able to do it," he said. "The relationships created the book in the first place. I want to be able to be someone who comes out and is worthy of the investment that people put into me."

Click on the audio player above to hear their full conversation.