Before I Loved Her, I Healed Myself: Memories and Discoveries of a Boy Evolved Into a Man

Raised by a single mother and a product of the Rion Lane housing project in Cincinnati, Ohio, author Stephen E. Hooks narrates both his memories and his discoveries as he struggled throughout the course of his life to establish his identity as an African American man. Before I Loved Her, I Healed Myself reveals Hooks's challenging childhood growing up without a strong male role model, the compelling influence of the women in his life (including his mother and grandmother), his foray into drug trafficking, and his playboy lifestyle. It exposes the deepest wounds he acquired on his life's journey and examines his quest to find the meaning of manhood. This memoir presents one man's chronicle of self-discovery in the process of finding love and purpose in life; it's story about pain, healing, restoration, and redemption. Via Hooks's emotional story, Before I Loved Her, I Healed Myself shows that transformation and personal growth are possible.