About The Book
“War and Prison: Guess Who’s Coming Home” by Ari S. Merretazon isn’t just a memoir—it’s a raw, unfiltered look at how racism, war, and prison shape a life. Ari takes us from his childhood in Washington, D.C., where poverty and family resilience collided, to the jungles of Vietnam, where he was sent as part of Project 100,000—a program that funneled Black and Brown youth into war with little training or support.
But surviving Vietnam was only half the battle. Back home, Ari orchestrated one of D.C.’s most infamous non-violent heists, a bold act of protest he called reparations. Locked up for it, he didn’t just serve time; he built a movement, organizing imprisoned veterans and creating a rehabilitation program that changed lives.
This book isn’t just about struggle and turning pain into power. The author pulls no punches describing war’s trauma, prison’s cruelty, and the racism threaded through both. Yet through it all, he finds purpose, justice, and a way to lift others up. It’s more than a story, it’s a wake-up call.
