Reaching the Shore

This is the story of Davin J. Douma and his incredible journey. When Davin was 16 years old he was convicted of killing a man and sentenced to life in prison. While in the county jail awaiting trial, Davin's appendix burst. He laid on a cold cell floor in severe pain for days unattended. Then, when it was almost too late, he was in a hospital where he was fed intravenously for five months. Weighing only 90 pounds after being in the hospital, he was sent to a dangerous maximum security prison with adult prisoners. Only one out of a hundred juveniles with life sentences ever come out of this type of prison. Many die and others are never released in Oklahoma where Davin was imprisoned. He used his intelligence and people skills to survive. In prison Davin changed and he dedicated himself to intensive personal development. Prison, in a way, became like his monastery. He read over 4,000 books on every subject imaginable, took courses, became a highly skilled martial artist, practiced Tai Chi, yoga, and meditation. He practiced Tai Chi for at least 2 hours a day for over 20 years and became a Tai Chi master. Davin also became a skilled writer and speaker and worked on his character development. He became a teacher on a variety of subjects for other prisoners and helped young newcomers adjust to prison and to rehabilitate themselves. For over 25 years he spoke to schools and to kids to steer them away from a life of crime. "Reaching the Shore: A Story of Survival, Courage and Endurance is a story about a young man's journey through prison life and his extraordinary heroism of using the constraints, horrors and obscenities of his surroundings to propel him into a quest of personal growth, self-discipline and personal enlightenment. "This book is also about the memoirs of a remarkable mother who attentively gave her devotion and attentiveness to that son. A true inspiration. The reader comes away realizing that no matter what cards fate has dealt us, ours is not to give up or give in, but to stalwartly without self-pity journey through, conquer and thus be transformed in the process." - Susan Wilkins, Writer and Educator
About the Author: Bonnie Jane Hall enjoys using her artistic talents for both art and writing. For many years, she worked as a self-employed interior designer. She is a gifted storyteller who can write research-based fiction or nonfiction. Reaching the Shore, is her first book which she worked on for over four years. She is also writing a series of fictional but research-based books about climate change called Earthships, which take place in the future. The series covers themes such as family values, respect for animals, and preparing for survival. Davin Jake Douma dedicated himself to intense personal development and went through a positive transformation while serving a life sentence in prison. He became a skilled writer, martial artist, law clerk, and speaker. Davin read over four thousand books while in prison and became a teacher on a variety of subjects. For over twenty-five years he spoke to kids in and out of school to steer them away from a life of crime. Many of the books and novellas written by Davin are at this time unpublished. His first published book, Hard Light, is now available in both e-book and print on Amazon.