One of the side benefits of having a drug dealer for a father was that word soon got out

around the neighborhood, and no one messed with you.

We lived in a shroud of secrecy, drove cars that were stolen, kept the blinds shut, and never had a friend come into our home. We were raised in darkness. Discipline involved my dad beating us with a horse whip. We knew better than to disobey.

On one particular occasion my father, with a 9mm Beretta pistol in his hand, proceeded to shoot off the clip around the room with me sitting beside him. To this day I’m not sure how he missed me. When he was done he said, “So, I suppose you’ll call the police now.”

That was the furthest thing from my mind. I knew that if I ever turned my father in there would be no escaping his reach, even from the inside of a prison cell. I loved him greatly but feared him more than any person alive.

Never Give Up is the true story of a young boy who grew up with a father who was a drug-dealing mobster and an active Seventh-day Adventist. It is a story of redemption and hope. He says, “I wrote this book, not because I am proud of my past, but because I believe that no matter what our past, God can redeem us for His glory. There is always hope!”