Book excerpt: At Last I Open My Heart is a true story about a self-destructive man who, for more than forty years, lived in a secret world that was filled with lies, lust, and deceit. It is a compelling account of a man who intensely hated himself and believed that his entire life was a failure. It is also a moving testimony about triumph, and about how a once lost man miraculously recovered from decades of sexual addiction. It openly recognizes the seamy world of pornography, a multibillion dollar scourge that destroys marriages and ravages relationships. No one is immune from pornography's steel grip. It is a dreadful, widespread epidemic that each day ensnares millions of men and women. In his straightforward style, first-time author, Bart Mercurio, shamelessly leads us through the pages of his harrowing battle with pornography. He shares how his troubled heart was hidden away for nearly a half century, how he constantly lived in denial while vainly searching for genuine love, how his secret lifestyle came to be exposed, and how he was humbled and at last redeemed from his lifelong struggle as a sex addict. His eye-opening, personal experience is inspirational and honest and delivers a powerful message that will speak loudly to every man and woman who read his story.