Freaks and Revelations 

In 2005, at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, California, ex-skinhead Tim Zaal sat down to discuss strategies with Matthew Boger, a gay man - and discovered they'd met before - in an alley in West Hollywood - where 17 year old Tim had almost taken 14 year old Matthew's life.  

excerpt:                                                                        IN MARCH OF 1980, A TERRIBLE THING HAPPENED.  

"I never saw a kid that night;  I saw a creature, an enemy - taking something that belonged to me. That’s not an excuse, I know – there is no excuse, no good reason. It’s not an apology either. Apologies don’t really help. The thing is done. I did it. I’m the bad guy. I can’t change that or make it go away."

Matthew and Tim now work together at the Museum of Tolerance and with student groups throughout the United States and Canada. Their presentation, FROM HATE 2 HOPE,  has led thousands of young people and educators to consider the importance of respect and forgiveness. 

Their first meeting, and the journey they've taken since, inspired this novel.

ISBN 978-0-316-04996-2