Parables from the Heart Land

An author is led to a deserted seashore where he struggles to get onto paper the story of his youth - of a fourteen year old who flees the ravages of the abuse of his mentally ill father and finds refuge in the "Scartown" family of Blind Ben See's Carnival of Wonders.In a pattern of Christ's passion, he begins a journey through his own souls darkness. He faces into scars of adolescence, challenging, hi to open to his wounds without succumbing to self destruction or self-pity - and arrives at "something like forgiveness".In the process he makes his heart a container for transforming suffering into joy - escorting the reader along a similar path.While intended for mature youth and adults, these are not simply tales of pain, but of promise; they skillfully take us into realms of hope, healing and humor. They teach us that underneath the scarring, people are sacred - are of fantastic worth - and that no situation need destroy us.