I used to be an over-the-road truck driver. Have you ever found yourself driving at night on a long unfamiliar stretch of highway in a place you’ve never been? After miles and miles, the reality that you’re lost sets in; by then, you’ve been lost for so long you can’t recall how many miles and how much time has passed. You start to wonder where you made your mistake, where you made your wrong turn. You ask yourself, “How can I turn around and find my way home? This is my story of a lost … [Read more...]
Memoirs of a Runaway
CEO looks back on his life as a troubled teen By Michael Kennon Outskirts Press $10. 95 Remembering vividly his own pain, shame and isolation as a runaway from age twelve to early adulthood, CEO Michael Kennon hopes his story will let the untold thousands of runaway children in the U.S. know that if he made it, they can too. Kennon said his recently published book, “Memoirs of a Runaway: A Story of Hope,” (www.memoirsofarunaway.com), will let teens who have run away or who are … [Read more...]
X-Rated to G-Rated Lifestyle
An autobiography by Kandi Rose Shepherds Rose Publishing The message on my e-mail on a late August morning read in part, “I’m a former stripper and prostitute who had multiple addictions and once owned my own Strip-O-Gram business in the Chicago area.” It sought my public support for her autobiography, “X-Rated to G-Rated Life Style” and concluded, “whatever your answer, I will take as God’s will.” It was signed “Kandi Rose.” Kandi, who operates a Thrift Store in a small Arkansas town, had … [Read more...]
Missing That Good Boy
It happened again. Devastatingly again. One of us lost his son. And not just lost him but lost him in a way that didn’t have to happen. We’re still grieving the loss. We’re still wringing our hands and looking to our own kids hoping, wishing, praying that we don’t lose them. It didn’t have to happen. The boy was a gentle soul with dark hair and a face that favored his mother’s. He was kind, and he was clever. The boy, Patrick Clemmons, had a creative flair that permeated everything … [Read more...]
“Teen ‘Zine” — A New Approach to Teen Drug Problems
The silence was deafening … 15 pairs of eyes staring, arms crossed. I smile, no one smiles back. “Can anyone tell me, what makes a good news story?” Nada. My 10 minute PowerPoint seemed to last an eternity. “We are going to divide into two groups and do an exercise. Let's count off and move our chairs into two circles." No movement. Okay, so what else is new? They’re teenagers. There is nothing elaborate or flashy about Argenta Academy, an alternative school in North Little Rock. From the … [Read more...]
