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Aaron Powell served as a Marine during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2003 with a bachelor of arts in criminal justice and a psychology minor. He also completed a second bachelor of arts in business administration at Ashford University, where he graduated with distinction in 2011. Aaron Powell is the author of the Doomsday Diaries series, C-Town, Benjamin, Sugar Baby and Scream, “Aye, Sir!” He enjoys reading – particularly military history/non-fiction – writing, and is an active marksman. Aaron and his wife, Michelle, and son, Luke, live near Austin, Texas.
Reviewed by Kayci Webster for Readers' Favorite
"Benjamin" tells the story of a boy lost in his own despair. His home life is less than desirable with his mother's taste in abusive men. He is ridiculed and tormented at school between bullies and a sexual predator. His teenage years are a roller-coaster of angst, anxiety, and fear. He is on an endless search for normalcy and comfort. One thing after another, prayer after prayer, until he feels as though he cannot go on in this life anymore. His desperation brings him almost to the point of killing himself. This book tells the emotionally charged story of his journey of spiritual development and self-realization.
For a book of only eighty-four pages, it is extremely packed with emotion. It is a beautifully crafted tale of religious exploration and self-discovery, of a boy coming into his own and triumphing over a cruel existence. It does not matter if you are a teenaged boy yourself or a middle-aged woman. Benjamin is the kind of character that you can find something in to relate to. His story is both depressing and entertaining at the same time, but in all the right ways. He is a boy deprived by his own circumstances, who turns to the Lord for help in a time of desperate need. This leads him through a journey of spiritual discovery and learning what truly matters in a harsh world. Benjamin shrivels, grows, cowers, and stands right back up again, growing into a man across the pages right before your eyes.
