CELEBRATING SAMMY

Deborah Steinmetz

Sammy was a gifted artist and a loving person.  He was killed in a tragic accident at age eighteen.  Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder at age eleven, he struggled with academics and was repeatedly labeled as a behavioral problem.  Running through a mine field dodging bullets from all directions was what it was like for Sammy to try to make his way to responsible adulthood where he could achieve his goals and make his dreams come true.  He was developing the ability to resist the distractions that were preventing his success when tragedy struck him down.  The essence of Sam and his dreams are still with those who love him.  There is no other book like this one, for there is, nor was, no other Sammy.  If Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were living in today's suburbia, they would definitely have been prescribed ritalin and would have probably experienced much of what Sammy experienced.  This book exists because it would be a monstrous crime if people did not have the chance to celebrate and enjoy Sammy--a joyous spirit with a unique talent and a vast capacity to enjoy and care for others.