Amazon Category:  Inspirational Publisher: Global Authors Publications ISBN-10:  0977968030 Type: Fiction Pages: 144 Copyright: July 26, 2006 ISBN-13: 9780977968039 The personal story of one man's fall from success into the dark deadly world of crack cocaine use, his recovery, redemption, cure and ascension to spiritual truth. When you think of a crack-head, what kind of picture comes to mind? A stupid teenager, with little, or no education? A prostitute? A smack-talking, ghetto-born African-American? Or, maybe, a misfit Caucasion dropout, from a broken home, with an alcoholic, abusive, absentee father? Crack-heads are street-walking, panhandling, hustling, poorly dressed, teeth missing, gaunt, thin, useless, and dangerous looking kinds of people, that you'd never invite over to dinner, right? Well, guess again, because the author of these memoirs is an educated, articulate and thoughtful, formerly successful family and businessman, a grandfather, who owns expensive suits, always knows how to appear well groomed, and knows which fork is used when, at the gourmet banquets of the upper middle class. "I Romanced the Stone" observes, discusses, and exposes fundamental tendencies of addiction in our society, and weaves these general themes throughout the personal story of the author's journey. The reader comes to understand that drug addiction is not some exclusive disease of the poor, or the uneducated, or the social castaways of our world; it is an insatiable and insidious ghost, shadowing anyone, of any walk of life, from any economic or social environment. It can appear as a false god, "the good life", and then devour you as "the grim reaper" is revealed bewilderingly to you, as your new slave master. The book tells how the author was rehabilitated, cured, and had his life and soul spared, through love and help from family, and most significantly, through a powerful spiritual experience. It is an inspiring, yet fearsomely awesome story, sending a message of hope, and advisement. Excerpt From Chapter One: "Getting My Work on the Way to Work" Already late for my job, I run into a local seedy party store, rush up to the counter, and impatiently get in line behind a slender blonde I’ve seen prostituting around the area. I suspect she’s a junkie, as I observe her fidgeting, scratching at her neck, face, and arms, and pulling nervously at her stringy, unwashed hair. She gets her pop and smokes, and staggers out toward the front door, chanting some unintelligible hip-hop song. I step up, telling the young clerk, “Give me ‘the works,’ dog.” He gives me this knowing look and proceeds to fill a small paper bag with a “rose stem” (thin glass tube), “char” (a “Chore Boy” copper scouring pad) and several cigarette lighters. “That’s six bucks, homes,” the boyish-looking Chicano says, handing the bag to me. I pay him, walk out the back door, scanning the parking lot for any heat, hop in my car, and head around the corner, where I’ve got my pick-up all set. I pull into the parking lot of a project complex. There’s litter everywhere and a rankling bouquet of garbage, stale beer, and urine wafting through the air, emanating from the overflowing dumpster enclosure at the far end. It’s a warm, smelly, sunny day, here in the ghetto, and in the center of the courtyard there’s a pickup game of hoops going on, a bunch of gangsta-looking street-ballers, talking smack and showboating. I see my dealer, a tall, heavily built African American, with deep-set black eyes, standing there in a Michael Jordan jumpsuit, waiting on me. Our eyes contact; he makes a subtle hand motion, indicating the best parking spot for me to take. I turn the car around and back into the space, so I can watch for any unwanted characters approaching my vehicle. He glances side to side, then saunters toward the car. Opening the side door, he sits down, and says, “Half a buck, right?” I reply, “Yep,” and he drops a small plastic bag in my hand. I give him the fifty dollars; he gets out, suggesting, “If you need me later, I’ll be around here all day.” “Holla atcha this afternoon, dog,” I shout at him,

Raw, down-and-dirty, and unfiltered look at the life of a crackhead!
Raw, down-and-dirty, and unfiltered, "I Romanced the Stone" is the story of an aging hippy and his descent into the madness of becoming a crack user. Marvin Wilson had used just about every drug known to man during the Peace and Love Years of the 60s so what would one little experimental hit from the crack pipe hurt? He soon found out that smoking crack cocaine wasn't the same as smoking marijuana, the main drug of choice for the "tune in, turn off, and drop out generation." Marvin is a very lucky man in the fact that he is still alive to tell this compelling story. "I Romanced the Stone" is a must read for all who have even THOUGHT about taking that first hit from the crack pipe.

Kristie Leigh Maguire
Multi-published, award-winning author

A Must Read For Todays's Youth
This book should should be required reading in every school. Follow the path of a man who got caught and trapped in the world of drugs with little hope of escape. Wilson tells of the creeping destuctiveness that drugs can cause and offers himself as an example of how not to live your life. Only through personal courage and the support of family and friends does the author live to tell his tale. Help our youth not make the same mistakes and spread the word about this book!

Philip Harris, AVATAR Award-Winning author - Waking God Series and others.

A Wakeup Call
Marvin Wilson destroys all the stereotypes of drug use on both ends of the scale. He is neither part of the Hollywood/New York "elite" associated with upscale drug abuse, nor is he a part of the underclass. He is just an average middle class guy who fell into a bottomless pit.
His recovery from drugs and the recovery of his marriage is an inspiration for anyone who has felt that their lives had become hopeless.
His book takes the reader on a ride of emotions as he shares a truly remarkable story of despair and redemption. This is a must read.

Walter Sorg - WILS Talk Show Host