"From the Hood to the Woods" book, by John Annoni

"From the Hood to the Woods" was nothing like what I expected, and frankly, I was disappointed. By the time I reached the end of the book, I was more than ready to put it down. The author spends much time glorifying himself. After a while, I just got tired of him going on and on about his mixed race, his childhood, his decision to marry a white woman, etc.

The bottom line is, I don't care about that. I wanted to hear how hunting and shooting had helped him, and how he's using them to help children. And he finally reveals some of that, but it's mixed with cries for sympathy.

It's just not a good book.

I expected good things from this book. I expected to be inspired, filled with admiration, and thrilled to spread the word about what John Annoni is doing to help inner-city youth through the world of hunting.

Sadly, I was not.

Instead, I was left with the impression that the author is an egotist (although he specifically tells readers that he is not - which is normally a sign of an egotist, in my experience). I was also left feeling that he seeks pity for the fact that his mother was white, his father was a black criminal with whom he had little contact, and his brothers experienced physical abuse in his mother's home.

Okay, sure - he overcame a lot. I get that. He could have ended up a pusher on the side of the road, but instead he became a teacher and self-promoter. But at some point, it would be nice to move past that and find a concise description of Camp Compass Academy - but I never did.

Annoni seeks empathy from readers because he once broke into a house to assault someone based on words that person said. Apparently, he believes readers should agree that forced entry and assault were justified because he was the target of a racial slur.

Ho hum. And I just wanted to be inspired! Meanwhile, he seeks sympathy, pity, and admiration, and provides a lot of poorly-written self-justification towards that end.

I never did find a good concise description of Camp Compass Academy in this book. As with many other topics, it is approached in a roundabout way.

Turns out, it's a nonprofit program for disadvantaged urban youth, which employs hunting, fishing, archery, tutoring, social guidance, and other outdoor activities. That's great, and I'm sure glad someone is doing it.

John Annoni may be doing good work involving hunting with young Americans, but I admired him a whole lot more before I read his book than I do afterward.

- Russ Chastain