Book excerpt: "Suddenly, I woke up in the middle of the night to find my mother lying on the floor in the living room, surrounded by a puddle of blood. She had been shot? Dad had disappeared and the world seemed a blank except for me calling, "Mom! Mom!" Her body, not moving at all. I called her name over and over until the tears blocked my vision. That image, seared into my brain after all this time, still has the same effect on me today as it did back then. Even after years of drug abuse and homelessness, that image?would never be erased from my mind. Things were different after that?I was different."Anthony Brown's dramatic life story has led him to many dark and often dangerous places. Addicted to drugs and alcohol since he was very young, From Park Bench to Park Avenue, details his incredible journey from disfunction and homelessness to recovery and triumph-pursuing his ultimate passion of giving hope and help to those still imprisoned by destructive behaviors and substance abuse. All of the proceeds from From Park Bench to Park Avenue will be used to transform a historic home into Brown Manor - a place of recovery, where individuals can begin a new journey, alcohol and drug free; a place that offers a hand up, not a hand out.