Failure to Comply

Failure to Comply
By: Bobbie L. Irvin, Jr.

After graduating high school, Bobbie L. Irvin, Jr. left behind his rough upbringing in the beleaguered neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri for the United States Marine Corps, where he traveled the world and learned the lessons of discipline and manhood that would influence the rest of his life. When he returned, he became a police officer, a father, and a community leader-but still faced the lingering effects of his childhood and a neighborhood that sunk deeper into the ravages of drugs and gang violence.


Both heartbreaking and inspirational, Failure to Comply is a coming-of-age story about resiliency, forgiveness, and racial conflict within the African American community. This is a rare glimpse into the childhood of an inner-city youth whose acute self-awareness helped him escape the inevitable. It is a story of tough love and transformations, and how one man used the lessons learned in his tumultuous childhood to beat the odds and put himself on a path for success.

About the Author


Bobbie L. Irvin, Jr. is an author and retired police officer from Kansas City, Missouri. He and his wife currently reside in Cape Coral, Florida. He enjoys fishing, riding motorcycles, and collecting vinyl records. He is currently learning the bass guitar and loves spending time with his grandchildren.