Born into a life of struggle in Chapleau, Ontario, Sasha Neshawabin’s childhood was a roadmap to the system she would spend her life fighting. From an early age, loss, instability, and trauma – culminating in her first charge at just twelve – set her on a path of chaos.

This unflinching memoir chronicles a life lived on the edge: the fear of growing up in rough neighborhoods, the cold reality of jail at fifteen, the isolation of solitary confinement, and the crushing cycle of incarceration and desperate freedom. Sasha offers a raw, powerful look at what it means to be institutionalized, how a criminal record becomes a barrier to finding work, and the painful distance that grows between a person and the “normal” life the desperately seek. 

Surviving the System is the story of fighting for your life, your identity, and your sanity in a world that has already decided who you are.

About the Author

Sasha Neshawabin is in acting and modeling school.