In his memoir, THE FORMULA: From the Life You Were Given to the Life You Choose, Dant’e Cottingham traces his journey from childhood to being incarcerated as a juvenile at 17, serving 27 years in prison, and facing the uncertainty of coming home. He reflects on the people and experiences that shaped him, and the choices that helped him build a different life.

Today, Cottingham is a reentry specialist and teaches at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Law School. He shares what he learned along the way and invites readers to consider the formula shaping their own lives. What will you choose to build with yours?