Бывший контрабандист марихуаны Рик Карл издал книгу о своем пути к исправлению и стал уважаемым гражданином

Trending Those who have met Rick Carle might remember him as the man who helped them get their vehicle fixed up at Graham Tire. Or they might connect him with the metal markers scattered around downtown, pinpointing the sites where notable buildings once stood. Most would never associate him with hauling loads of marijuana from Colorado to Iowa. But in his book "Go Figure: My Wacky Journey From Outlaw to Leading Citizen," the Fort Dodge man acknowledges doing just that, along with a bunch of other illegal and questionable things. But in the book he also writes about how he got away from that lifestyle, severed ties with the people who helped him get in trouble and became a respectable citizen. "It's a redemption story," he said. "It's a real story of how you can take a left turn down a bad path and then turn your life around and become a productive citizen," he said. Carle said the book will "make people laugh and it will make people cry." A version of the book was published in 2013. Now, he is releasing a new version that has more chapters and new stories. He will hold a book signing from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. today in the Fort Dodge Public Library by the City Square. Carle said he decided to write the book to show others that it is possible to turn their lives around. "The book is a redemption story, so if I am able to help at least one person change their life, then my journey was successful," he said. He said it took about three years to write the book. One of his brothers, Cliff Carle, a professional book editor, edited it for him. He said he mailed his brother each chapter, one at a time. His brother would edit each chapter and mail it back. "I'd get it back and it would have all these red corrections and marks all over it," Carle said. Carle is now retired after 39 years with Graham Tire in Fort Dodge. He is a member of the Friends of Oakland Cemetery Board and the board of the Webster County Historical Society. He has previously served on the Fort Dodge Historic Preservation Commission and the boards of Habitat for Humanity and the Almost Home Humane Society of North Central Iowa.