... , exactly like Alex in Lightning. Still, without a doubt, the hardest thing Danielle has had to deal with is the death of her son. Her eldest son, Nick Traina, had a manic-depressive mental illness. After several suicide attempts he ended his life at the tender age of nineteen. Steel explains in the novel she dedicated to him: "He's dead." The words flew out of my mouth before I could ... during a difficult pregnancy. Steel explains this in her son's biography: It was a nightmarish time Bill reappeared the night before the baby was born. He spent the night, and got me as far as the hospi...

• Word Count: 4014
• Approx Pages: 16
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... They walked back out toward Walton Lane, and stood close to the heavy traffic and then walked into an alley. It was now approximately 5:30 p.m. and night had fallen. The police station was to their right; Robert's home was to their left. But the boys decided to go back to the railway, avoiding the police station. The attack and murder of James Bulger occurred between 5:45 and ... wrong to take a young child from his mother, to try to do so, and to use such extreme violence on a child of such tender years."" As the jury received files, which included photos of the crime, they were visibly...

• Word Count: 4935
• Approx Pages: 20
• Grade Level: High School

... self, leaving little if any feeling of personal worth. Had I viewed my son's life with a pure heart I would have recognized him as a tender spirit of God's."" Not long before he reached the age of 20, Bobby "unable to deal with the guilt and shame of who he was and his parents' misguided efforts to help "moved to Portland, Oregon, hoping that ... the change in scenery would help him get "cured-. But it didn't work. Late one night, Bobby Griffith went up to the highway and did a back flip off an overpass. He had perfect timing. Just as he was about to land an 18 ... . He left behind a su...

• Word Count: 3019
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School