Author of the controversial novel, Chasing Diana
Tangled Minds
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Mar 26, 2008 – Reviewed by: Ann B. Keller
Background: Ann is an accomplished author who has written several novels including Vortex of Revelation, Trevor's Love and Briggen, which will be released April 4, 2008 by TRIAD. In addition to being a writer, Ann is also the president of Kodron Productions, Inc. and has written several screenplays including Vortex of Revelation and The Devil's Crescent.
Tangled Minds is a masterpiece. In the fine tradition of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Yvonne Mason leads the reader through the twisted and tangled lives of Brianna Van Pelt and her son, Josh, thrusting us into a Pygmalion dilemma that has consumed scholars for decades. Is there such a thing as a "bad seed", an individual whose feet are placed upon a path of crime and evil almost from the beginning? If the circumstances of one's birth or the choices one makes cannot be overcome with love, patience and the rarely grasped opportunity for redemption, what chance is there for any of us?
Thwarted by her parents' tough love, seventeen-year-old, single mother, Brianna, allows herself to be drawn into a new world glittering with easy money and false promises, accepting that proposition that no good girl ever should. With her young son, Josh, in tow, she dazzles with new prosperity, fulfilling the fantasies of not only her glorified pimp, Ken Morgan, but those of a judge and a host of depraved, desperate men in their wake. Ms. Mason's familiarity with the legal system and law enforcement showed through clearly in several well orchestrated scenes, as the long arm of the law repeatedly tried to halt the ring of drugs and prostitution and Brianna and her son fled for the safety of the mountains.
Ms. Mason's understanding of mountain people was stellar. These simple folk protect their own with fierce loyalty and Brianna and Josh find shelter beneath their net of poverty, love, moonshine and madness. Here, transgressors simply disappear, never to be heard from again and the mountains hold their secrets close to their chests as nature smoothes the pothole's dark waters and envelops the hills in song and greenery. Even murder seems somehow justified in a place such as this, but the twisted and convoluted logic of its inhabitants finds no sympathetic ear in the outside world and Josh must ultimately face the consequences of his actions.
And yet, within this story, there lies hope. In Hannah and Miss Amy, we see the opposing force of love, the light of goodness that can blaze through even the meanest dark, if only one has the courage to reach for it. Fragile yet steadfast, this gentler emotion finally reaches even Brianna, a woman some would have classified beyond redemption. In love's golden glow, we find hope, hope for Brianna and Josh and perhaps even for ourselves, as well.
Tangled Minds should be required reading for every high school senior or college freshman, although its audience is clearly much wider. Life is, indeed, full of choices and consequences. An individual may be able to run fast and far, but in the end, he cannot outrun the ultimate judge - himself. True redemption begins from within. May love's tiny flame light the way as we reconcile our past, lift our face into the winds of change and set our feet once more upon the good road. An excellent read!
Tangled Minds is currently being written into a screenplay for the motion picture industry.
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Clockwise, from top left: Benjamin Ajak and Judy A. Bernstein; Benjamin Ajak; Alephonsion Deng; Benson Deng
Benjamin Ajak, Benson Deng , and Alephonsion Deng were all under the age of seven when they were driven from a war-ravaged country. In this deceptively understated memoir, the three boys recall in their own words their harrowing journey to safety.
Benjamin, Alepho, and Benson were raised among the Dinka tribe of Sudan. Their world was an insulated, close-knit community of grass-roofed cottages, cattle herders, and tribal councils. The lions and pythons that prowled beyond the village fences were the greatest threat they knew.
All that changed the night the government-armed Murahiliin began attacking their villages. Amid the chaos, screams, conflagration, and gunfire, five-year-old Benson and seven-year-old Benjamin fled into the dark night. Two years later, Alepho, age seven, was forced to do the same. Across the Southern Sudan, over the next five years, thousands of other boys did likewise, joining this stream of child refugees that became known as the Lost Boys. Their journey would take them over one thousand miles across a war-ravaged country, through landmine-sown paths, crocodile-infested waters, and grotesque extremes of hunger, thirst, and disease. The refugee camps they eventually filtered through offered little respite from the brutality they were fleeing.
In They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky , Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin, by turn, recount their experiences along this unthinkable journey. They vividly recall the family, friends, and tribal world they left far behind them and their desperate efforts to keep track of one another. This is a captivating memoir of Sudan and a powerful portrait of war as seen through the eyes of children. And it is, in the end, an inspiring and unforgettable tribute to the tenacity of even the youngest human spirits.
The three boys were relocated from the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya to the United States in 2001 as part of an international refugee relief program. Now all in their mid-twenties, Benjamin, Benson, and Alephonsion live in San Diego, California.
Judy A. Bernstein is Student Advisor for the Community Economic Development Department at San Diego State University, Chair of the Advisory Committee of the San Diego International Rescue Committee, and co-founder of the IRC Lost Boys Education Fund.
In her capacity as an IRC mentor in 2001, she met Alephonsion, Benson, and Benjamin. Awed and deeply touched by their tragic childhoods, epic journey, and heroic survival, she encouraged them to write about their lives. As their stories unfolded, she began to see that their writing might help them get an education and a foothold in their newly adopted country. That dream began to come true when Joni Evans, Vice President of the William Morris Agency, agreed to represent them. Soon Clive Priddle at Public Affairs recognized the possibility for a book and took it to fruition.
Judy now spends her time speaking to community groups and schools with her co-authors. She also writes articles and books, continues her volunteer activities, and enjoys time with her husband, Paul, and son, Cliff.
Please join Judy and host Paula B. as they ponder:
Interviewee : Judy A. Bernstein
Host : Paula Berinstein
Date : May 4, 2008
Running time: 58:12
File size: 28 megabytes
Rating : Violence
The They Poured Fire Web site : TheyPouredFire.com
