About the Author
Paul Bradford's youth was scarred by poverty as he toiled in cotton fields in Arkansas. His mother died when he was nine. After being abandoned by his drunken and abusive father, he shuffled through five foster homes. Paul became a decorated Army veteran (Purple Heart and Bronze Star for Heroism) after being wounded in the Vietnam War. Although he lived a double life as he battled an internal conflict about his sexual orientation, Paul built a flourishing life with his loving wife. He became a successful businessman and a devoted father to his two children. After committing a heinous crime, he was sentenced to five years in a Texas penitentiary and ten years' probation. Paul became homeless and destitute after completing his prison sentence. His one and only crime shattered his 43-year marriage. His family disowned him. No one would give him a job. For the past ten years, Paul has courageously confronted the absence of restorative justice as he tried to submit to a draconian probation system. He is also cautiously focused on understanding and accepting his sexuality. He is 78 years young and lives in Austin, Texas.