What the Mirror Sees

Book excerpt: Can one moment in life define who you are? Can this same brief second influence what others will become? How strong are the locked doors to our past and how long can they contain the monsters that pound against them, raging to get out? A moment in time binds four high school seniors and a guidance counselor. The lives of a stoner, loser, bitch, social butterfly, and an alcoholic become entwined because of an incident that occurred six years in the past. Two seventh graders enter a stairwell and five lives are changed forever. Six years later, festering hate, adolescent perception, incompetent parents, and a handgun bring a dramatic conclusion to this one moment in time. What the Mirror Sees is a gritty look at the life of high school teens and the harsh realities they deal with in what is often perceived as a cold and uncaring world. T.A. HALUKENNAH turned down several Ivy League scholarships to backpack across the United States at the age of 18. During the two years and eight months he was on the road, in 38 different states, he supported himself by working minimum-wage jobs. It was here that he encountered the backbone of America's economy, teenagers and illegal aliens. Ever since this trip Halukennah has maintained an affinity toward the youth of our country. His writing reflects the struggles of adolescence and the resiliency of children. T.A. Halukennah has no place he calls home and rarely stays in one place for an extended period of time. His last known residence was somewhere in upstate New York.