In Sunshine and In Shadow

Rob didn't merely stab the man because of that day's pain. He stabbed what that man represented: someone bigger and badder; someone who didn't play fair, who had sexually violated his body and his innocence; someone who had repeatedly robbed him of all his belongings...and who had twice left him for dead from stab wounds...and who countless times mocked and humiliated him in public. He finally stabbed all those men back.

In 2003, Robert Bowers waived trial and pled guilty to murder in the second degree. After eighteen years, he was found "suitable for parole" from a California State Prison. In In Sunshine and In Shadow, his mother tells his heartbreaking life story.

Autism, addiction, learning disabilities, and abuse made life an incredible struggle for Rob. Although his mother was used to getting calls asking, "Are you the mother of Robert Bowers?" Nothing could have prepared her for this last such call.  

Dixie Miller Stewart gives a voice to frightened, bewildered parents, a heart to a society hardened by behaviors they don't understand, and a conscience to anyone who rejects the "different" child. She challenges readers to look past their misconceptions.

The disheveled young man you see retrieving aluminum cans you've discarded or the one sweeping the parking lot of a restaurant in exchange for a meal are not homeless. They live in the hearts of their families.

Experience how the love of a mother and son endures in IN SUNSHINE AND IN SHADOW.