Cover My Dreams in Ink

Book excerpt: "Born different, a boy struggles. His story draws you in. So, too, does his mother's unending fight, the fight for an appropriate education and effective health care through to the fight for his life as he enters the harrowing world of addiction. A mother's passion for her son's equal rights, and her unshakable belief in his potential, seep through the pages as does her coming to terms with her own flaws. The boy's poetry-undiscovered in his lifetime-is intertwined, depicting the inner life of a person underestimated. From the discovery of a drug that provided relief to the pure hell of addiction-exploited, humiliated, punished--and from homelessness and jail cells, to rehab and a wanderlust fueled by the relentless quest to belong, his young manhood is full of heartache, but marked by grit and determination and the capacity to love and forgive. The will to keep fighting. They lose. She, her son. He, his life. The journey of an individual, packs a message that is universal: human rights, a principle easily negated for the vulnerable. Inspiring sensitivity for those who are different, compassion for those whose battles arise from uncontrollable circumstances rather than faults of character, this gripping story drives home the urgency for drug policy reform"--