Lessons from a Drug Lord: The Most Unexpected Life Lessons from the Most Unexpected Person

A self-help book like no other.

As seen worldwide on National Geographic Channel's Locked-Up Abroad, Shaun Attwood moved from England to Arizona as a penniless graduate and made a fortune in the stock market. But he became greedy and lost sight of what was important. He threw raves and ran a multi-million-dollar Ecstasy ring in competition with the Mafia mass murderer "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, who put a contract on Shaun's head. In 2002, a SWAT team smashed Shaun's door down. After surviving 26 months in the insect-infested jail run by Sheriff Joe Arpaio - where gangs and even guards were murdering inmates - Shaun was sentenced to 9½ years.

Lessons from a Drug Lord includes what Shaun learned when he was forced to reappraise his life in the harsh reality Arizona's penal system, including supermaximum-security prison. The people imparting wisdom to Shaun range from his psychotherapist, Dr. Owen, and his meditation master, Andrew, to Two Tonys, a Mafia mass murderer serving 112 years for killing rival gangsters, and T-Bone, an ex-Marine using formidable fighting skills to stop prison rape.

These lessons - told via anecdotes and Socratic dialogue - will force you to re-examine your life and what is truly important. They include:

* Love the Right Person: a dysfunctional relationship can derail everything you have worked for

* Take Time for Introspection: the foundation for personal development is self-knowledge

* Identify and Overcome Addictions: unacknowledged addictions can creep out of control and devastate your life 

* Value Your Family: make time for the people who love you unconditionally

* Make Slow and Careful Progress: shortcuts are tempting, but not worth the high price