"Passion and Pain: Prose, Poems, Psalms, and Proverbs" is about not only how the power of words helped a son find his dad through letters from prison, but also how author Stephen Hooks discovered his voice and himself through his own writing. He believes that writing with passion can facilitate healing the souls of males in urban communities and prisons by giving them a voice. He believes many men are crippled in their relationships by anger, bitterness, regret, doubt, and fear, but they might have better, more productive lives by writing and expressing their feelings in journals-a safe outlet for misunderstood emotions. The writings in "Passion and Pain" are from Stephen Hooks's personal journals, written over the course of fifteen years. From his longing for the right woman-his own "soulsista" to share his life with-to the reality of his father's life in prison, Hooks explores his own life-journey. As he shares the emotions of sitting on his grandmother's grave to talk with her six months after her death, the depth of his pain surfaces, giving us a window into his passion. A collection with a great deal of heart and soul, it bears witness to the vulnerability of a man pursuing a life well-lived.