Raymond e lumsden biography template

Stronger by the Day Raymond E. Lumsden Lighthouse Publishing 3805 Austin Ct. Flower Mound, TX 75028 9780979062803, $16.95 www.amazon.com

Stronger by the Day: A Gripping Story of Abuse, Neglect, Courage and Redemption is the chilling, true-life memoir of author Raymond Lumsden, a survivor of abuse and sexual molestation, convicted of felony burglary at age sixteen and sent to a maximum security prison for it. Life in prison was a nightmare ordeal; he had to survive day-to-day dealings with rapists and murderers, and was nearly killed in a brutal and horrific prison riot. Yet when he finally served his time, life on the outside was marked by fresh hardships--his efforts to turn his life around were at the mercy of whether his probation officer liked him, and at virtually every turn his prison record was a barrier to rebuilding his life. "Convicts are not criminals. Criminals plan and scheme what they will do once they get on the outside. Convicts like me do the time and go on to lead productive lives, if the system lets them." Lumsden survived three suicide attempts, and finally found peace through becoming a pastor and active counselor. Stronger by the Day is a profound story of personal redemption, as well as a terrible warning of the risks imperiling today's children at the mercy of a cruel and arbitrary justice system.