This book has been awarded with the Gold Seal of Literary Excellence. "A person diagnosed with EMR, (which stands for educable mentally retarded) has an IQ range of 50-70... learning will take them longer." Tarell Johnson is born on a summer day in 1984, to a mother addicted to crack and a father who does not want him. His grandmother attempts to care for him, but after repeated kidnappings by his birth-mother, he is finally taken by Child Welfare. He is adopted by a Ms. Thomas, a physically and emotionally abusive single mother who keeps him in clothing bought from Goodwill. Tarell's status as an "EMR" or person suffering from educable mental retardation becomes apparent, and before long he is sexually abused by a teacher who only wants to take advantage of him. At eighteen, the adoption agency informs him of his actual parents and his curiosity makes the vindictive Ms. Thomas kick him out. Tarell flees to New York where he sings on the subway for money. He is seduced by a series of women and even a man who only want to use him sexually for a short while before kicking him back on the streets. Eventually the young man is tricked into marriage by a 44-year-old 400 pound HIV-positive woman. Again, it is only for her own benefit, and Tarell finds himself out on the streets. It is not until Tarell finds Theresa, a Christian woman who helps young men in trouble, that Tarell finds true love and care. Theresa helps him mature and learn, until Tarell overcomes his disability and graduates from college, able to support himself. Spotlighting the plight of an educable mentally retarded child of a single, drug-addicted teenage mother, the author has provided a window into the world of mental disability and the concomitant poverty and abuse such a child can face. The theme of human depravity and aggression against the weak is made quite viscerally manifest. It is the author’s contention that only a selfless and Christian dedication to the welfare of such individuals can lift them from a condition of dependence to one of self-sufficiency. Some irregular grammar may jar some reader's ears, but the characterizations and plot are gripping and realistic. - US Review of Books

Blind Innocence II is a unique story of trials, tribulations and overcoming one's obstacles. Tarell Johnson has come a long way from where he started out in life. Now having just about everything a man could want and need, the one thing he doesn't have is the woman of his dreams (Debbie). As you follow along in this very complicated, confusing and controversial love story, you will see the meaning of true love. Monique Johnson, a former crack addict and street hustler, even after changing her life continues to face many trials. Losing yet, another child, but this time to a violent crime and almost losing her own life as well, still perseveres even through her tears. Traveling through scenes of Monique's life will show readers what the words strength and courage truly means. Theresa, the minister, is looked at by many people as one having God's wisdom and knowledge of Him, and knowing to do the right things. However, with her husband Eric being in the military over 15 years, and away from home; she battles with her spirituality and humanity as she becomes lonely, angry, and just tired of it. Through Theresa's trials readers will see how important it is to pray for those in authority and leadership.

Tarells story is one that couldnt have stayed hidden. He was both humbled in the sight of God through his innocence and abused in the blindness of many in their own ignorance. This story will evoke emotions ranging from sadness to joy, while making you laugh in between. In a world where movies and literature reign supreme, Blind Innocence offers a unique story that has yet to be portrayed, offering a refreshingly, new journey through the life of a troubled adolescent. Tarell is mentally challenged and has been through a lot in his young life, suffering abuse from both his biological mother and his adoptive mother, women in general, and society. Just when it appears as though things are finally starting to look up for Tarell, who after meeting his biological family, all hell breaks loose. What started out as a dream quickly becomes reality, and soon, it all turns out to be a nightmare. Then he meets Debbie, a young girl who, among all the other women he came across, has a heart filled with compassion and sorrow after hearing his story. Debbie talks her mother into taking in the homeless Tarell, but more drama erupts when Debbies mother, a conniving, Christian woman, uses his mental disability against him in order to pacify her insecurities, causing him to endure even more mental and emotional damage. But as they say, What doesnt break you will only make you strong. Blind Innocence shares a poignant glimpse into one mans life as he faces seemingly insurmountable odds and slowly tries to create a meaningful life. After everything Tarell has been through, will he be broken, or arise, victorious and strong?

A playboy divorce lawyer’s new intern is about to lose her innocence in this scorching hot contemporary romance. Brad De Luca is used to getting whatever and whomever he wants. The premier divorce attorney in town, he’s a playboy who’s bedded half the city—including his own clients. And when the newest intern at his firm poses a challenge, his seductive prowess goes into overdrive. Pre-law student Julia Campbell is fresh off a failed engagement and happy with her new independence. Even if she hadn’t been warned away from Brad at every turn, she’d know he was bad news. The last thing she needs is a man who could destroy her job prospects, not to mention her innocence. But before she knows it, the incorrigible charmer has her under his spell. His deviant tastes plunge her deep into a forbidden world of sexual exploration . . . but her heart may not survive the fall.

Daniel DeForest London argues that the Fourth Gospel offers a potentially transformative response to the question of suffering and the human compulsion to blame. Based on his reading of John 9 (the man born blind), London argues that the Gospel does not offer a theodicy, but rather a theodical spirituality, an experience of praying the question of suffering and remaining open to a divine response. London shows how the Johannine Jesus’s response poses three sets of symbols in dichotomy (day/night, vision/blindness, sheep/wolf), each subverted by another, core symbol (light, judge, shepherd). By interpreting these symbols in light of mimetic theory, he argues that Jesus’s response reveals the scapegoat mechanism in which an innocent victim is blamed by violent victimizers. However, rather than blaming the victimizers, Jesus continues to engage with the characters who appear to be villains: the light of the world transforms night and day into one continuous day; the Good Shepherd welcomes sheep and wolf into his beloved flock. In this way, readers are invited to bring to the Johannine Jesus their own violence, resentment, and wolfish rage regarding the question of suffering and to experience the theodical spirituality of the Fourth Gospel.

Mark A. Leon, The Voice of Modern American Poetry. Through the use of characters, nature, emotions, religion, spirituality, pain, life, death and raw energy, Mark has been able to capture the cornerstone of everything we feel each and every day. He is in all of us. Everything we are afraid to say or share is depicted in his words. Life is a journey and this book captures one man's journey to find enlightenment. You will walk away from this book attached to many of these verses. Everyone that reads this book will open a part of themselves that may have been hidden for years. It isn't just the words but the energy and power behind them. By the end of this book you will feel heightened emotion that you have never felt before. If you are a parent, a child, a soldier, in love, or in remorse, Sonni's Abyss should be a part of your life.

What do we all seek? We seek happiness. Many believe that happiness eludes them, and this is the cause of much suffering. What if you were to discover that the key to happiness resides within you, where it has always been? What if youve been seeking in the opposite direction for a key that has always been in your possession, a key that will release you from a prison of shadows and suffering, allowing you to finally bask in the light of inner wisdom and freedom? The solution lies in returning to the root of oneself by rediscovering the inner wisdom that abides in each of us. Our society, our culture, and the frenzied world in which we live confront us with daily stimuli and external signals of who we are or should be, of what we should prioritize or value, and of what our aspirations and successes should model or resemble. Hypnotized by a world of illusions, we live a reality of half-truthan ephemeral world of impermanent pleasures that disintegrate like the ethereal beauty of delicate snowflakes cascading onto the sea. Guiding our focus inwardly to our silent inner space, we reconnect with the inner master residing in the blooming garden of our True Self. Embarking on this intimate journey and cultivating this inner path daily, we find refuge in our expansive inner space where we discover the gateway to freedom from suffering and the light of true happiness. The intention of this work is to guide readers to their own inner journey, to intimate reflection, and to daily cultivation of all that they desire will blossom in their own lives, thereby denominating this book and this practice, Spiritual Gardening.