Introduction

The inspiring, dramatic, and heartwarming true account of an escaped convict and his wife of thirty-five plus years who never knew his secret, which captured the imaginations of millions on Humans of New York.

Bobby and Cheryl Love were living in Brooklyn, happily married for decades, when the FBI and NYPD appeared at their door and demanded to know from Bobby, in front of his shocked wife and children: “What is your name? No, what’s your real name?”

Bobby’s thirty-eight-year secret was out. As a Black child in the Jim Crow South, Bobby found himself in legal trouble before his 14th birthday. Sparked by the desperation he felt in the face of limited options and the pull of the streets, Bobby became a master thief. He soon found himself facing a thirty-year prison sentence. But Bobby was smarter than his jailers. He escaped, fled to New York, changed his name, and started a new life as “Bobby Love.” During that time, he worked multiple jobs to support his wife and their growing family, coached Little League, attended church, took his kids to Disneyland, and led an otherwise normal life. Then it all came crashing down.

With the drama of a jailbreak story and the incredible tension of a life lived in hiding, The Redemption of Bobby Love is an unbelievable but true account of building a life from scratch, the pain of festering secrets in marriage, and the unbreakable bonds of faith and love that keep a family together.

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Excerpt

It was still dark when I opened my eyes. Bobby was asleep next to me, but I could hear Jordan rattling around in the kitchen. It was Thursday. That meant Jordan had to catch the subway by 6:15 in or- der to make it to school for his 7:00 a.m. class. I gave thanks that the twins were so responsible that they didn’t need reminding to get up for school and out the door on time. As high school juniors, they showed us every day their growing maturity. I peered at the clock on my nightstand and sure enough, it was 5:30 a.m.

I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Bobby, grabbed my robe from the chair, and padded to the kitchen without bothering to put on my slippers. Even though our little Brooklyn apartment was cramped —Bobby and I slept in the living room, pretending it was a fourth bedroom — at least it was toasty warm. Even in January, my bare feet weren’t cold on the linoleum floor.

Jordan was drinking the milk from his cereal bowl, standing at the sink. I made a face but didn’t say anything. I knew he was rushing. Instead, I went to fill the kettle for my tea and Jordan dashed back to his room to collect his things. Before he could make it out the door, I stopped him. “Wait a minute, Jordan,” I called, making my way over to my son. He knew what I wanted.

We bowed our heads together, and I reached for his hands. Normally I would have woken up Bobby to pray with us, but I decided to let him sleep.

“Father God, in the name of Jesus, I ask you to keep us safe and covered as we go about our day,” I began. Jordan grew still as I prayed over him, as I did every day for all of my children before I allowed them out of the house. It was our regular ritual, no exceptions.

“Amen,” I whispered and smiled up at my son, who was now several inches taller than my five-foot-seven frame.

Jordan bent over and kissed my cheek. “I love you, Ma,” he said before he slipped out the door.

I tiptoed back to the kitchen as I heard the teakettle begin to whistle. I grabbed a peppermint tea bag out of the box in the cabinet and set my tea to steep. The sun hadn’t yet come up, but I knew it was going to be a nice day. The weatherman had said it was going to be sunny and in the low forties, which was a blessing for a New York winter. I thought about how many layers I’d have to put on for my walk to work. After fourteen years walking to the same office, the same thirty-minute route, I knew exactly how to dress for my daily commute but still look appropriate for the office. As a nutrition coordinator, I didn’t have to dress fancy, but I always wanted to look nice for the clients I was helping get back on their feet.

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost 6:30 a.m. I knew I’d have to check on Justin shortly. He had a different schedule than his brother and didn’t have to be at school until 8:00, but his commute included two different subways, so he needed to be out the door in less than forty-five minutes. I picked up my teacup, took a sip of the warm liquid, and closed my eyes to savor the taste for just a minute.

A loud banging on the front door interrupted the moment.

My eyes flew open. Without thinking, I called out with my best Brooklyn attitude, “Who is it?”

I couldn’t imagine who would be knocking at this early hour in the morning. I hoped the tone of my voice conveyed my annoyance and anger at whoever was on the other side of my door.

Apparently it didn’t, because they knocked again. Louder this time. More insistent. Whoever it was had now woken up my husband. Bobby called out from our bed, “Go next door! This is apartment two A!” He too sounded annoyed at this unwanted early-morning intrusion.

If whoever was on the other side of our door was indeed looking for our neighbor in 2B, I was ready to go off. That woman was bad news. We were always seeing strange men coming in and out of her apartment. She cursed and hollered at her kids so much, we weren’t surprised when Child Protective Services showed up the year before, threatening to take her children away. I started to make my way to the door to see if whoever it was needed to be set straight. As I walked past the living room, I noticed Bobby hardly seemed concerned and was still lying in bed, the blankets pulled up around his shoulders. Even though he’d have to get up in a few minutes anyway, I let him enjoy his last few moments of rest. I could handle whoever it was pounding on the door.

“Open up, this is the police, we want two A!” view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think the authors chose to open the story with Cheryl’s perspective of Bobby’s arrest more than forty years after his prison break? What fears does Cheryl say that she had when the FBI and police invaded her home? Despite this, what did Cheryl’s instincts tell her to do? Were you surprised by her reaction to Bobby’s arrest? Why or why not? Why does Cheryl say that she felt a sense of relief on this day?

2. When we first hear from Bobby as narrator, what stunning statements does he tell readers the police made to him following his arrest? Why did the police decide to pursue the case even though the crimes were committed so long ago, and they knew that Bobby was now an upstanding citizen? When Bobby arrives at Rikers Island and is alone in his cell for the first time, what question does he ask himself? How does the book answer this question?

3. What were the childhoods of Cheryl and Bobby like? What did they have in common? When Bobby thinks back on his childhood, what is “all [he] remembers about that time” (24)? What lessons does it seem like Cheryl and Bobby learned during this time and how did these experiences ultimately shape or influence the people they became?

4. How were Bobby and his family impacted by the Civil Rights Movement and the beginning of desegregation? When and why does Bobby first begin to get into legal trouble? Are Bobby’s legal troubles tied to his behavior at school in ways that surprised you? How did this contribute to the path Bobby ends up on?

5. Explore the themes of justice and injustice. Why does Bobby begin to steal and how does he say that he justified it? Are the injustices Bobby faces throughout his life connected to one another? Alternatively, what examples of justice are evident in the book? Does the book suggest whether we live in a basically just or unjust society or suggest how we could contribute to a more just society?

6. Instead of decades in prison, Bobby spent decades on the outside – working, raising a family, and staying out of trouble. Is he rehabilitated, even though he escaped from prison? Would he have been more rehabilitated had he not escaped? Regarding Bobby’s criminal activity, has justice been served?

7. What does the title of Chapter 4 “Broken Promises” refer to? What promises were broken in Cheryl and Bobby’s lives? What promises did they break? Why did Bobby and his friends feel that they “had permission to make [their] own rules for survival” (100)? How did the figurative broken promise of Bobby and Cheryl’s education and career prospects affect their trajectory?

8. What question does Bobby’s mother ask him when she visits him in jail and how does he answer her? How does he feel about his chances on the outside at that point? What advice does Big Mike give Bobby shortly after and what “major things changed along the way” (134) as Bobby followed his advice? What impact does have on Bobby’s self-image and the future he can imagine for himself?

9. Why does Bobby’s bag give him hope? What new refrain does he say that he started to recite as a result? In his new life after his escape from prison, what made Bobby start to think that there was a higher power playing a part in his life? When Bobby has several “brushes with his past” (172) during this time, what does it make him realize?

10. What does Chapter 8 reveal about the real life of Bobby and Cheryl? Why did they leave the Pink Houses and what was life like for them afterwards? How did Bobby say that he looked at work and what questions did he ask himself about his jobs? What does he say that he learned at Baptist Medical that he subsequently used at all of his jobs? Why was Bobby fired from his job with the IDA and how did this affect him and his family?

11. What recurring dream does Cheryl say that she would have after arguing with Bobby? What was at the root of her arguments with her husband? What does Cheryl say that she ultimately prayed for as a result of this, and how does she say that her prayers were answered?

12. Examine and discuss the motif of community. Where do we see Cheryl and Bobby relying on community for support? Where did community fail them? Who were the two able to turn to when times were difficult? How did Cheryl and Bobby also contribute to and create community and what impact did this have on their own lives and the lives of others?

13. How does the memoir create a dialogue about identity? When Bobby reflects on the various names he has gone by in his life, what does he realize that he incorrectly assumed a different name could do for him? How does the book function as a vehicle of self-exploration and self-discovery for Cheryl and Bobby? When Cheryl asks Bobby which name she should use for him and for herself as his wife, how does he respond? Why does he decide to legally change his name?

14. Consider narration and voice. Why do you think the Loves made the decision to share two perspectives in this memoir? Was there one voice that you related to more and, if so, why?

15. Explore the theme of redemption. How does Bobby rehabilitate himself and break the cycle of crime? What role does his family and community play in his redemption and how does faith contribute to this journey? How did Bobby’s ideas about faith and religion evolve over the course of his life? In addition to religious faith, how did Bobby’s faith in himself change in the decades following his escape and during his re-incarceration?

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