Essential Innocence

Have You Ever Been In Love-With A Person You Didn'T Know Had Never Met And Had Never Seen In Person? This Seems Impossible To Most People But To A Troubled 16-Year-Old Boy This Scenario Was Not Only Possible It Became A Reality.The Kidnapping Rape And Murder Of 7-Year-Old Melissa Ackerman Of Rural Somonauk Illinois In June 1985 Was A Crime Which Shook The Entire Community And Brought Forth The Dark And Evil Side Of Human Nature. Whereas Most People Were Outraged And Saddended By The Crime-And Then Were Able To Move On To The Next News Story-One Young Man Found Himself So Consumed By These Emotions That His Entire Life-And The Lives Of Those Around Him-Would Be Changed Forever. I Am That Young Man.Essential Innocence Chronicles My Struggles To Cope With This Tragedy. With A Simple Diary-Like Format And Clear Concise Style It Also Focuses Upon Other Difficulities Of Youth-Personal Relationships Sexual Feelings And My Own Brother'S Murder A Few Years Earlier. Controversy Is Ingrained In The Story Which Also Covers Topics Such As Child Molestation And Suicide.Essential Innocence Will Be A Fascinating Book For Those Of Us Who Remember Youth As A Confusing And Painful Time To Teenagers As A Guide Of Hope And To Anyone Touched By Death Who Seeks The Answer To One Question: Why?