What is like lose it all? How do you respond to life's punches when it seems even God doesn't care? Josh Billows has lived it. Even while losing his mother to a tragic accident and his father to prison at an early age, Josh was forced to cope with further misfortunes in the foster care system. He never felt safe; he never felt loved. It seemed the world had failed a scared little boy...and the nightmares began. Old Paul Walden, an eighty-two-year-old neighbor with a mysterious past, hears the call to a young man's silent plea for help. Though he spends his days caring for his ill wife, Mr. Walden takes on the difficult task of watching over the young man in the foster home across the street and redirecting his path-one step at a time. Josh begins to realize from Mr. Walden's crafty and puzzling lessons that he must confront the roots of his nightmares and do the unthinkable. Forgive. A page turning epic, The Walk to Walden Hill is a close look at the emotional and spiritual aftermath of abandonment and the overwhelming feelings of fear, self-doubt, and crushed hope experienced by children in the foster care system. Unlike other stories with a similar beginning, Josh does not experience healing through education or an undiscovered talent. Instead, Josh's life is rescued by something simple: a hero who cared enough to show the way. -2011 ACM Silver Novel Award Winner Robert Abernathy
