Walking Through the Valleys of the Shadows of Death

About this book

As a boy, Mario, growing up in the inner city of Los Angeles, infested with poverty, crime, and gangs, dreams of a beautiful life, but society, culture, and an apathetic education system gears Mario toward failure. Mario, in an attempt to make his dreams of a beautiful life become a reality, swims against the current, but finds himself crashing head on into an unjust society. After struggling against the current, Mario capitulates, embracing the self-fulfilling prophecy society bestowed on him, and in the process, surrendering his dreams, his faith in society, and his belief in God. Gradually, he undergoes a metamorphosis, transforming himself into a nonconformist rebel. With the support of a group of young men that call themselves the Rebels and a young Christian girl named Kathy, Mario embarks into an impossible rescue mission to resurrect the only dream he has left of becoming a boxer. Mario sees himself as a little boy in the children and tries to prepare them to overcome the barriers and obstacles they will encounter that will quench their dreams of a happy life. He believes that if he accomplishes his dreams of becoming a boxer, that will also give the children hope of making their own dreams become reality. With the support of the Rebels and Kathy, Mario experiences an epiphany and a spiritual awakening, giving him a renewed faith in God and the courage to follow the lost dreams of his youth.