This is a true story about my own son John, who was once afraid of snow, but like all children do he learned to love it... After the story I have included some of my poetry, that I hope you will enjoy

Isolation and despair. Three individuals are caught in a tapestry of deceit and drug dependency. Drug use helps them escape from the pressures of reality and their inability to adjust to and confront their problems. Their deceit is necessary to rationalize their actions to themselves and explain their activities to others. John's war experiences still haunt him but not any more so than his failed marriages and the children he so desperately longs to see again. Jack loves his father but can't escape the specter of his crippling injuries to find a life of his own. Larry just wants to impress his peers and enjoy life, but his means don't tend to accomplish those ends. Perhaps John, the older man with the much more tangible problems, is in a position to see more clearly how his drug dependency and deceit has destroyed what was most precious in his life. Perhaps John can find a way out of the morass that his life has sunk into. Perhaps his efforts can help the men a generation younger than himself find their way.

“Don’t Do It Again, Johnny!” By: John Michael Rukaveno “Don’t Do It Again, Johnny!” provides a rare opportunity for readers to get a glimpse into the mind of someone living with a severe mental illness. John’s disorganization and tangential thought process make for a unique writing style and are what make this book special. In this book you will follow John’s life story of growing up in Bend, Oregon. His journey takes him from driving fast cars, to spending time in prison, to being committed to the state hospital, to caring for thirty-three dogs, and finally from being disabled and homeless to living happily ever after. This book has been a dream of John’s for many years. This book allows him to share with the world his experiences through his eyes and in his words. My hope is that readers appreciate the underlying themes of humor, zest for life, and unconditional love.

The year was 1864. The freezing winds off Lake Michigan swept across the snow laden grounds and through the cracks of a building that held Southern prisoners in Camp Douglas, Illinois. Huddled with the other prisoners, John mulled over the reasons he had enlisted, even after his father had forbidden it. He knew the only real reason was to protect his best friend Frankie, who had enlisted first but never even bothered to show up at the station when the recruits left for war. Shivering, he wondered if he would ever see his family again or especially the girl he had loved since childhood. John realized that nothing but an act of God could deliver him from this hell on earth. Includes Readers Guide.