This is the true story of a family's journey through the mental illness of one of their members, the beautiful but troubled Amy. Her chosen lifestyle of drugs and gangs eventually leads her to a tragic end, and her family is left reeling. The book chronicles her short life, touching on her diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder and her dealings with the criminal court system.

"Colleen crashed into my orbit like a meteorite," writes Rev. Gordon Hunter in the opening sentence of his contribution to this book's Foreword. Indeed, Colleen had that effect on most people she encountered, including her own parents and sister. Bright, articulate, and utterly charming at times, she could also be bewilderingly sinister, manipulative, and downright vindictive. Says her mother Fran, there is so much about the human brain that still remains to be understood. But if we are to help those like Colleen-possibly greater in number than our society yet realizes or is ready to admit-we...