Book excerpt: Regina Jones, a 16-year old African American girl from Houston, Texas, that deals with many challenges in her life because of the poor, misguided directions of her mother, Deborah Jones. Her desire to be loved leads her to poor decisions that result in sex at an early age, teen pregnancy, and adhering to peer pressure that eventually leads to a criminal conviction! This eventually forces her mother Deborah to come clean about her past in hopes to preserve her daughter, Regina's future.