When Jerry McGill was growing up in thehousing projects on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 1980s, his futureseemed bright: Though times were tough for a family led by a single mother,McGill was a charming, precocious teenager, already excelling as an athlete anda dancer. But everything changed one night when he was thirteen. Walking homefrom a New Year's party with a friend, McGill was shot in the back by anunknown assailant, who was never caught. Soon after, he learned that he wouldbe wheelchair-bound for life.

Written as a letter to the man who shot him, whom he decides to call Marcus, DearMarcus is a reflection on McGill's childhood, the event that changed hislife in an instant, the challenges of living with a disability, and theimportance of optimism, forgiveness, and making the most of our gifts. In thisdirect and intimate attempt to explain to his attacker the repercussions of hisdeeds-how one man's random decision radically altered the course of another'slife-McGill takes us to the streets of New York City in the 1980s, to thehospital where he spent six months recovering, and on his journey to make themost of his new life. He recounts the joys he has experienced traveling theglobe and mentoring disabled children, the love and support he has receivedover the years, and the strengths he has been able to find within himself thathe may never have discovered had his life turned out differently.

By turns brutally honest and funny, both full of rage and full of heart, DearMarcus is an inspiring book about the moments in life that shape us-theones that catch us by surprise, that blindside us, but that present us withopportunities for growth, reflection, compassion, and forgiveness. At somepoint-to greater or lesser degrees-we will all be in the wrong place at thewrong time. The challenge, though, as Dear Marcus shows us, is not towallow in despair or blame other people, but to rise up and find strengthswithin ourselves that we didn't know we had.

Jerry McGillis a writer and artist. He received a BA in English literature from FordhamUniversity in the Bronx and his MFA in education from Pacific University inOregon. He lives in Portland, Oregon.