Crown of Thorns (Greene, Book One) “They buried me in steel. I learned to write with it.” The Sentence Was 140 Years. The Fight Was to Stay Human. At eighteen, Darnell “Nell” Lanham is sentenced to 140 years and thrown into Greene State Penitentiary —a world of walls, whispers, and weaponized silence. Every rule cuts twice. Every name costs something. Inside Greene, survival isn’t about strength—it’s about translation . Two men rule the yard: Ghost , who moves in shadows, and Lowe , who plays daylight chess with people’s lives. Between them stands Ray , a philosopher in greens who teaches the only gospel that matters: Pick where your blood falls. Don’t borrow what you can’t repay. Write your name somewhere they can’t take. A War Written in Ink and Blood Nell tries to stay invisible. Greene laughs. When a secret ledger of debts and names falls into his hands, the block crowns him with unwanted power. His pen becomes a weapon. His words become currency. But when a man dies over the names in his book, Nell’s ink turns to blood—and Lowe’s lies turn the yard against him. To prove his truth, Nell must fight without losing himself. Because in Greene, credibility is life , and every crown cuts the one who wears it. A Story That Bleeds Truth Greene is not fiction—it’s translation. It’s what happens when hope and brutality share the same cell. You’ll meet: Nell — a young man learning to fight with words when fists aren’t enough. - Ray — a mentor whose wisdom keeps men alive. - Ghost & Lowe — rival rulers of silence and spectacle. - Marcus — the innocence Nell tries to protect before the system eats it. You’ll feel: The hum of the tier after lights-out. - The power of writing as resistance. The tension between loyalty, survival, and soul.