On the Side of the Angels

Cody has every reason to leave. His successful struggle to survive in the harsh inner-city environment has left its mark on him and on his reputation. Since infancy he has been consistently shut out and mistreated by the only family he knows--his mother. Deliberate underperformance at school has labeled him a loser. And the one person who truly cared about him is gone. His soul cries out for a new beginning, but how? Where can he go?Using his scanty savings, he boards a bus and travels far in search of the uncle he's never met. His uncle's family takes him in with reserved enthusiasm, quietly frightened of the street-wise young man who nevertheless seems to need so much love and acceptance. Though Cody is anxious to fit in, the reflexive responses he learned from his previous environment hamper an already difficult social adjustment and force him to continue to fight his deepest fears and attitudes. Unfortunately, the truth about his past is closing in on him fast.