In a nation torn by a seemingly unbridgeable racial divide, there have been few written accounts from those caught in the abyss. Out of the Madness is such an account. It is the unforgettable true story of Jerrold Ladd's journey from the housing projects of west Dallas to a life of hope. It is an authentic and seminal autobiography for anyone who wants to know what is wrong - and what is right - with America today. Out of the Madness is a moving narration of life inside the isolated wastelands of America's ghettos. Jerrold Ladd tells the story of his growing up in the projects: the games he and his friends played among the abandoned apartments and drug dealers; the acts of kindness they found amid the acts of violence; the extended but broken family; the church; the constant, debilitating pains of hunger and of shame that made going to an integrated school virtually impossible for Jerrold - despite the fact that his counselors and teachers recognized that the unkempt and dirty child was also a talented and gifted student. At the heart of Jerrold's childhood is his searing relationship with his mother, a woman who, despite her addiction to heroin and the mistreatment of her children, managed the herculean feat of exerting a positive influence on Jerrold at key moments in his life. Struggling to find food and to avoid being killed, struggling against depression and bitterness, Jerrold learned to survive. He took complete responsibility for his life. And he discovered hope. Jerrold Ladd's refusal to give up on a better life makes Out of the Madness a remarkable and uplifting reading experience. As one by one his friends are claimed by defeat, their lives lost and their potentialunrealized, he manages to find a bridge to a promising and successful future. To understand why good people turn to drugs, what gangs look like to the community from which they come, and why poor children have children of their own, Out of the Madness offers stunning answers from a voice m