Amazon Category:  Religion Publisher: iUniverse ISBN-10:  0595201156 Type: Fiction Pages: 200 Copyright: Sep 18 2001 Three teenagers come together as a step-family after the death of a parent...when it all falls apart, a Catholic priest shows up.... Scott and his sister Carol were accustomed to a good life. Their father had given them every want and need they wished for. Their life was one of upper middle class, with not a worry in the world. When their mother died from cancer, life turned inside out. Suddenly she was gone. They had no faith; they knew no God. They became bitter and angry. When Scott's father decided to remarry, his worst nightmare came true. He would have David Rodriguez as a stepbrother. He did not need a stepbrother, especially one of Puerto Rican decent. David was from the other side of town. He had his own set of problems, which he brought into the new stepfamily. The three youths tried to make the best of the situation. For a time it seemed as if they could make the family work, but then it fell apart. Scott blamed himself. At 17, he had seen enough. He was tired. He locked himself in his uncle's garage, and loaded a shotgun. He wanted to put an end to his anguish. He sat there for several hours. He heard a voice at the door; it was a Catholic priest calling to him, trying to help him. Scott threatened to kill the priest; he needed no help. On a chilly, rainy night in New Jersey, the priest walked into the garage. He started to speak to Scott. Scott started to cry. Suddenly, without warning, the gun fired. The smell of gunpowder filled the air. The rain started to pour down harder. Scott's pain and anguish started to leave him. Satan was getting the upper hand, but in the end, would lose... Excerpt Scott and his sister Carol were accustomed to a good life. Their father had given them every want and need they wished for. Their life was one of upper middle class, with not a worry in the world. When their mother died from cancer, life turned inside out. Suddenly she was gone. They had no faith; they knew no God. They became bitter and angry. When Scott's father decided to remarry, his worst nightmare came true. He would have David Rodriguez as a stepbrother. He did not need a stepbrother, especially one of Puerto Rican decent. David was from the other side of town. He had his own set of problems, which he brought into the new stepfamily. The three youths tried to make the best of the situation. For a time it seemed as if they could make the family work, but then it fell apart. Scott blamed himself. At 17, he had seen enough. He was tired. He locked himself in his uncle's garage, and loaded a shotgun. He wanted to put an end to his anguish. He sat there for several hours. He heard a voice at the door; it was a Catholic priest calling to him, trying to help him. Scott threatened to kill the priest; he needed no help. On a chilly, rainy night in New Jersey, the priest walked into the garage. He started to speak to Scott. Scott started to cry. Suddenly, without warning, the gun fired. The smell of gunpowder filled the air. The rain started to pour down harder. Scott's pain and anguish started to leave him. Satan was getting the upper hand, but in the end, would lose...

STEPS review written by Misti Jackson
Three teenagers face problems as they come together as a stepfamily. Carol and Scott must deal with the loss of their mother and try to accept their new stepmother into their lives. Not ever knowing his father, David works to accept Carol and Scott's father as his stepfather. Nevertheless, David does get close to his new stepfather, since he hasn't really had a father, it creates a little bit of jealousy between him and his stepbrother, Scott. The rage of jealousy causes an accident that will eventually start bringing the family close. As the teenagers try dealing with their problems and accepting each other they enlist in the help of a Catholic priest. When they have problems and need a shoulder to cry on or just someone to express their problems to they call upon Father Coughlin. Father Coughlin is always willing to lend an ear and his time to the teenagers when they need him. "Steps" will bring the problems of teenage parent hood, suicide, and homosexuality to the attention of its readers, problems that face most teenagers today. The story will touch your hearts, make you cry, and even make you laugh from the time you pick up the book and begin reading it. I really enjoyed David, he brought a lot of this book to life. David, to me, appeared to be a true Catholic, and he worked the best that he knew how to bring religion into the lives of Carol, Scott, and Robert, his stepfather."Steps" is a book that all adults and young adults should read. If you are a teenager who is facing problems, looking for God or wondering if he exists, or if you are in or entering into a stepfamily situation, you MUST read this one! And if you are a parent of a teenager I highly recommend you give this book as a gift to them; it is one that they are sure to enjoy.Reviewed By: Misti Jackson, Author & Book Reviewer, http://www.geocities.com/illinoiswriterus/(c)copyright 2002, The Write Stuff Book Reviews. All rights reserved.