Have you ever been in love—with a person you didn’t know, had never met, and had never seen in person? This seems impossible to most people, but to a troubled 16-year-old boy, this scenario was not only possible, it became a reality. The kidnapping, rape and murder of 7-year-old Melissa Ackerman of rural Somonauk, Illinois, in June, 1985, was a crime which shook the entire community, and brought forth the dark and evil side of human nature. Whereas most people were outraged and saddended by the crime—and then were able to move on to the next news story—one young man found himself so consumed by these emotions that his entire life—and the lives of those around him—would be changed forever. I am that young man. Essential Innocence chronicles my struggles to cope with this tragedy. With a simple, diary-like format and clear, concise style, it also focuses upon other difficulities of youth—personal relationships, sexual feelings, and my own brother’s murder a few years earlier. Controversy is ingrained in the story, which also covers topics such as child molestation and suicide. Essential Innocence will be a fascinating book for those of us who remember youth as a confusing and painful time, to teenagers as a guide of hope, and to anyone touched by death who seeks the answer to one question: Why?