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Author Rhoads was born during World War II. His soldier father returned to work on a cattle ranch. This idyllic atmosphere was spoiled as the boy gradually realized that his father was an alcoholic. As a teenager, the boy’s behavior soon became unmanageable. Sent to live with grandparents in a Christian household, he progressed academically and later joined the Air Force. But when Rhoads began drinking heavily, it led to a failed marriage punctuated by frequent job changes and financial hardships. He turned to crime—from smuggling marijuana from Mexico to involvement in a robbery and murder that yielded many years in prison. However, his life changed when he experienced a genuine Christian conversion while incarcerated, leading to a course in Bible study and, when freed, a chance for a loving marriage and sincere devotion to ministry.
Rhoads was inspired by his religious faith to share his unusual story. He is frank about his misdeeds, using the book as a confessional offering the unvarnished truth about his past. Though allied with the Aryan Brotherhood, he was converted to Christianity by a black fellow prisoner, and he later met his wife and ministerial partner while preaching in an all-black church. He was helped along the way by Christian counselors to whom he gives full credit for moving him to a God-centered life. He vividly paints the wretched conditions in Haiti, where he and his wife have done mission work. He gives a grim picture of life within prison walls and the accompanying frustrations of the legal system, but he is also able to depict the miraculous healings and changes of heart that can happen even within that atmosphere. Using simple language, he has composed a readable story that can serve as a beacon of hope to those trapped within that labyrinth.