Why would a squeaky clean, evangelical Christian woman from Ohio fall madly in love with a hopeless alcoholic Native American ex-con with the last known address of Skid Row, USA? Her idyllic childhood was plagued by illness, yet filled with unconditional love and support. His childhood was splintered by divorce, plagued by poverty, fueled by superstition and filled with disappointment. Two individuals could not be more different, yet Wil Yazzie and Linda Amyx married each other not once-but twice. An inmate who starts out a pen pal and ends up a husband-there's a lot that could go wrong in that situation. Strangers who become lovers because they bared their souls to one another in a string of me-then-you, you-then-me chain letters...come on! It's completely romantic, or it's a scam. The notion of falling in love through letter writing is sketchy territory, but in Wil and Linda's case, it turned out to be sacred territory. What began as a casual voyeuristic peek into another person's life turned into an unpredictable mixture of extreme heartache and extraordinary blessing. When two people find unexpected tenderness, vulnerability and true love behind prison bars, the relationship is not only rare, it's fascinating. He was a hopeless alcoholic whose addictions robbed him of decades of his life, yet he goes from career criminal to Hollywood actor and devoted minister with a message. If it weren't for the unconditional love and faithful prayers of his wife Linda, Wil would be dead-like most of his drinking buddies. Total Pardon is a true reversal-of-destiny story that offers radical hope for those struggling with addiction. With life lessons on nearly every page and thought provoking discussion questions for each chapter, this book is a must-read for substance abuse counselors, social workers and youth ministers, as well as anyone who has struggled with or has a family member struggling with addiction. There are far too many relevant counseling and parenting tips to ignore this amazing true story. Wil Yazzie was born in Phoenix, Arizona and grew up on the Navajo Nation reservation. He attended the BIA boarding school in Shiprock, New Mexico and the Chilocco School for Indians in Oklahoma. He got his degree in social work from the University of Cincinnati and went on to become a Hollywood actor after founding several social programs for Native Americans in California. He and Linda currently live in Newcomb, New Mexico where they growing their ministry, Christ Is The Answer (CITA), a ministry based on the Celebrate Recovery program. Linda Yazzie grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio where she worked as an elementary school librarian's assistant. She is an ordained minister with International Ministerial Fellowship (IMF) and an artist. Co-author, Jodie Randisi, is a screenwriter and the author or coauthor of four books. Jodie taught Navajo Indians at the Chinle Boarding School in Many Farms, Arizona in 1979.
Show moreWhy would a squeaky clean, evangelical Christian woman from Ohio fall madly in love with a hopeless alcoholic Native American ex-con with the last known address of Skid Row, USA? Her idyllic childhood was plagued by illness, yet filled with unconditional love and support. His childhood was splintered by divorce, plagued by poverty, fueled by superstition and filled with disappointment. Two individuals could not be more different, yet Wil Yazzie and Linda Amyx married each other not once-but twice. An inmate who starts out a pen pal and ends up a husband-there's a lot that could go wrong in that situation. Strangers who become lovers because they bared their souls to one another in a string of me-then-you, you-then-me chain letters...come on! It's completely romantic, or it's a scam. The notion of falling in love through letter writing is sketchy territory, but in Wil and Linda's case, it turned out to be sacred territory. What began as a casual voyeuristic peek into another person's life turned into an unpredictable mixture of extreme heartache and extraordinary blessing. When two people find unexpected tenderness, vulnerability and true love behind prison bars, the relationship is not only rare, it's fascinating. He was a hopeless alcoholic whose addictions robbed him of decades of his life, yet he goes from career criminal to Hollywood actor and devoted minister with a message. If it weren't for the unconditional love and faithful prayers of his wife Linda, Wil would be dead-like most of his drinking buddies. Total Pardon is a true reversal-of-destiny story that offers radical hope for those struggling with addiction. With life lessons on nearly every page and thought provoking discussion questions for each chapter, this book is a must-read for substance abuse counselors, social workers and youth ministers, as well as anyone who has struggled with or has a family member struggling with addiction. There are far too many relevant counseling and parenting tips to ignore this amazing true story. Wil Yazzie was born in Phoenix, Arizona and grew up on the Navajo Nation reservation. He attended the BIA boarding school in Shiprock, New Mexico and the Chilocco School for Indians in Oklahoma. He got his degree in social work from the University of Cincinnati and went on to become a Hollywood actor after founding several social programs for Native Americans in California. He and Linda currently live in Newcomb, New Mexico where they growing their ministry, Christ Is The Answer (CITA), a ministry based on the Celebrate Recovery program. Linda Yazzie grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio where she worked as an elementary school librarian's assistant. She is an ordained minister with International Ministerial Fellowship (IMF) and an artist. Co-author, Jodie Randisi, is a screenwriter and the author or coauthor of four books. Jodie taught Navajo Indians at the Chinle Boarding School in Many Farms, Arizona in 1979.
Show moreWil Yazzie was born in Phoenix, Arizona and grew up on the Navajo Nation reservation. He attended the BIA boarding school in Shiprock, New Mexico and the Chilocco School for Indians in Oklahoma. He got his degree in social work from the University of Cincinnati and went on to become a Hollywood actor after founding several social programs for Native Americans in California. He and his wife Linda currently live in Newcomb, New Mexico where they growing their ministry, Christ Is The Answer (CITA), a ministry based on the Celebrate Recovery program. Linda Yazzie grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio where she worked as an elementary school librarian's assistant. She is an ordained minister with International Ministerial Fellowship (IMF) and an artist. Jodie Randisi is the author or coauthor of four books and a public speaker specializing in childhood development and communication skills. She is a certified Time To Teach! trainer who provides professional development seminars for American educators. Randisi's seminars focus on classroom management and student discipline, character education and how to create and leave a legacy.
This book is riveting. I had settled in to read Total Pardon and
found I couldn't just read a few pages and put it down until later.
I had to finish the book. WOW! That's all I can say. What a
wonderful book about triumph, courage, and faith. The true meaning
of love arises, again and again, to help Wil overcome his
addictions. Linda's unconditional love, along with her belief in
prayer, is an awesome testament of how true love can overcome all
obstacles. This book should be shared, given to family and friends.
Wil and Linda are an awesome couple! Bless both of you for writing
this awesome book. Very inspiring. It is a must read! Ynema
Pemberton LaFuria
This is one of the best books I have read in my entire life! I read
it twice the first day I got it. What a touching love story, and
such an amazing testimony to the power and love of God. It is plain
to see that God used everything in Wil and Linda's lives, both the
good and the bad, to equip them for a powerful ministry. I believe
the study guide at the end of the book will be used far and wide to
reach those who suffer with drug and alcohol abuse. Thanks for such
an informative, exciting book!Rena Tipton
I thank Jesus for saving Wil from his addictions, and I thank Linda
for her prayers and unconditional love for Wil. This is a very
powerful book and hits home in many ways. I believe God had this
book published at this time so I can send it to my son in jail so
he might also see the love of Jesus. Thank you, from the bottom of
my heart, for sharing your truly amazing story of love and
faith.Faye (White Dove)
Words cannot describe this AWESOME book! I don't even like to read
but I started reading Total Pardon the day I received the book. I
could not put it down. I'm encouraging all my young people to read
your book. Thank you, Wil and Linda, for sharing your story with
all of us. And most importantly, thank you, GOD, for your
unconditional LOVE! Rebekah Harlow
I purchased the e-book of Total Pardon the first day it was
launched on Amazon but didn't start reading it right away because I
was finishing another book. But once I started reading it, I was
unable to put it down until I had finished the entire book. I may
get the hard copy for my bookshelf. I love true stories that end in
triumph!!! Jenny from TX
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