Letters From Alcatraz - Book Excerpt

I am excited to report that I have signed with Trafford Publishing and my first non-photography book should be released by March, 2010!

The photo that I am posting is the proposed book cover.

Y'all have been so very supportive during this process and I am so excited to leave you today with an excerpt from the book! Feel free to leave comments!

Letters From Alcatraz:

40 Years Later

05/15/07

Dear Tina,

I'm writing you today from my daughter's home in San Diego. I received a phone call from her day before yesterday informing me that she had kicked her husband out of the house. She was crying and I could hear my grandchildren in the background. I didn't know why she had kicked him out of the house, and she made no attempt to tell me, but I had the feeling that I should come down and try to help her through this difficult time.

Last night Isabella told me that she had caught Michael cheating on her. It wasn't just a suspicion, or a telephone number in his wallet, but she had actually caught him. She came home early from work and found Michael in her bed with another woman.

As a father I wanted to track him down and beat the living hell out of him, but as a man all I could think was "what a dumb ass...he can't even cheat right!"

Of course I told Isabella that she deserved better than that and if he couldn't be faithful then he wasn't worthy of her love. But inside, I wanted to tell her something all together different. I wanted to tell her that his cheating had nothing to do with her. I wanted to tell her that she should give him a break and realize that he was just doing what men do; acting on male instinct. We are born with an uncontrollable instinct that tells us to merge with the opposite sex.

I have often wondered if monogamy is at all natural. How could anyone be expected to find a single mate and stay with that one person for the remainder of their lives?

I realize that I go back and forth on this, but I think my stand on the issue varies depending on what I'm feeling on any given day.

It's the same old problem that I have dealt with my entire life. Loving one person, but still having the need and desire to experience pleasure with another.

I wanted to tell Isabella that the fact that he took pleasure with another woman has absolutely nothing to do with his love for her. I wanted to make her understand how a man thinks.

This was my opportunity to share with Isabella a part of myself. To help her. To give her information that most people, or more importantly, most women, don't get. I could have sat her down and explained how I have learned why I do the things I do. I could have told her about my own struggles. I could have explained to her the love that I have for her mother and the amazing marriage that we have had, yet I never stopped indulging my own sexual urges. Maybe that would have helped Isabella understand her own husband. But I did not.

I feel that I have done my daughter a great dis-service. I could have spoken to her as a man to a woman, but I did not. Instead, I spoke to her as a father to a daughter. I attempted to build her up by knocking Michael down. I told her he was immature and didn't understand how his actions affected the lives of others. I told her that she deserved better than a cheating husband that would allow another woman into their bed. I even went as far as to use a Dr. Phil line...I actually told her that you don't solve marital problems by going outside the marriage. As I said those words I wanted to kick my own ass! A man doesn't necessarily cheat because there are marital problem! Dr. Phil should know that!

So, in closing, I screwed up. I'm going to stay here a few more days and spend time with the kids. If I grow a set large enough to tell Isabella the truth about men I will let you know!

C.J.