BONDS: Loyalty, Lies, and the Life That Almost Killed Me by Roger Bonds
AVAILABLE NOW EVERYWHERE 1/23/26!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Bonds: Loyalty, Lies, and the Life That Almost Killed Me is a raw, first-person account of what happens when loyalty becomes survival and silence becomes a way of life. Raised in Harlem’s Polo Grounds projects, Roger Bonds learned the code early: protect your people, stay quiet, never break rank. That code carried him from the streets to prison, and eventually into the inner circles of power most people only see from the outside.
From serving as head of security for Sean “Diddy” Combs to witnessing the hidden costs of proximity to fame and influence, Roger takes readers behind closed doors to expose the emotional, moral, and physical toll of living by the wrong rules for too long. This is not a celebrity exposé. It is an honest reckoning with the lies we tell ourselves to survive and the price we pay for misplaced loyalty.
More than a memoir, Bonds is a guide for those standing at a crossroads. Through lived experience and reflection, the book offers insight for youth, survivors of domestic violence, formerly incarcerated individuals, and anyone trying to break cycles they inherited, not chose. It is a reminder that survival is not freedom and that reclaiming your truth is the first step toward real change.
#BondWisdom No. 1 – Loyalty Without Direction Is a Trap
“When I was coming up, loyalty was everything. Who you stood with. Who you protected. Who you stayed quiet for. Nobody ever taught us to ask where that loyalty was leading. I watched people give their whole lives to situations that were never going to give anything back. I learned the hard way that loyalty without direction doesn’t make you solid, it makes you stuck. Loyalty should build you, not bury you. If standing ten toes down means you can’t move forward, you’re standing in the wrong place.”
#BondWisdom No. 2 – Proximity Can Make You Feel Powerful While Keeping You Powerless
“I’ve been close to money, close to fame, close to influence. And I learned something most people don’t find out until it’s too late. Being close to power can make you feel important while you’re still disposable. If you can’t speak freely, leave freely, or live freely, you don’t have power. You just have access. Real power is knowing who you are without the room, without the title, without the connection.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roger Bonds is a speaker, advocate, and survivor whose life experience spans the streets of Harlem, the federal prison system, and the highest levels of the entertainment industry. Raised in New York City’s Polo Grounds projects, Bonds learned early how loyalty, silence, and survival shape identity long before choice feels like an option.
After serving time in federal prison, Bonds rebuilt his life and went on to serve as head of security for Sean “Diddy” Combs from 2003 to 2012, operating behind the scenes of global fame, wealth, and power. That proximity gave him a front-row seat to how influence works, how silence is enforced, and how easily loyalty can become a liability when it is given without boundaries.
Today, Roger Bonds is a certified domestic violence advocate, motivational speaker, and cancer survivor dedicated to breaking cycles of silence and redefining strength. He speaks to at-risk youth, survivors of abuse, formerly incarcerated individuals, and those preparing to reenter society, using his story to teach accountability, self-awareness, and the courage it takes to choose truth over comfort. Bonds: Loyalty, Lies, and the Life That Almost Killed Me is his testimony and his mission in print.
