Pressure is Malik Wade’s compelling, brutally honest description of his descent into the underworld, his years as a FBI fugitive, his incarceration, and his ultimate redemption. Wade began dealing drugs in San Francisco’s infamous Sunnydale housing project at age 15. By 19, his network reached from the Bay Area to Washington, DC. By 22, he had made the FBI’s wanted list. By 29, he was serving a 14-year stretch in federal prison.

In prison, Wade began a rigorous program of self-improvement. He would emerge from the darkness of prison a changed man. Once released, he enrolled in Stanford Law School’s Project ReMADE entrepreneurship program and began speaking about his experiences at UC Berkeley and other universities. Then in 2013, Wade founded the Scholastic Interest Group, a nonprofit dedicated to helping at-risk youth.

In addition to being a gripping personal story, Pressure is also social commentary. Wade chronicles the societal forces that shaped him, and he explodes many of the myths about drug dealers, prison, and growing up in the inner city. A vivid, authentic account of the triumph of the human spirit, Pressure is a revelation with the power to open minds and change hearts.

Earl McClean

Voice