When I hear the phrase incarcerated youth, cancer survivor doesn't exactly spring to mind. But that is exactly what this compelling piece is about. This feature is the story of George, a two-time cancer survivor and incarcerated youth, told matter-of-factly and articulately by himself. What makes this story stand out is the contrast between the stages of George's life as is clearly stated in the title, "From Goody Two Shoes to Rock Bottom."

One great thing about this feature is the narration. You only hear George's voice, no questions or prompts, which makes for a smooth sound. The short segments of guitar music are also really nice--they help break up the piece and the transitions are nice and clean.

However, this feature is a bit long for radio, clocking in at a bit over nine minutes, and could be edited a little bit. Though the content is valuable, it gets repetitive at times and could be made a little tighter.

I would have also liked to hear more in the transition from when George talks about his newfound friends and when he talks about his depression. I was interested to hear more about why his depression got so bad--what triggered it and why did it provoke him to act out so much? It seemed like a very sudden change in the mood of the story.

That said, this is a very great story that proves that you can't always judge a book by its cover. This feature kept me listening with its sometimes funny, sometimes sad anecdotes--the cake story in particular was very poignant. This is a fascinating story, and kudos to Blunt Youth Radio for giving George some time on the airwaves!