So Far From Paradise is an emotionally scenic trip through the urban street life in Kansas City that deceptively pressures so many of our young African American men and women into a lifestyle which leads to prison, an untimely death, or a maddening combination of both. Soody Mak pulls your heart and mind into the game so that you become acutely aware of how even our most intelligent and talented youth can initially be pulled into a downward spiraling lifestyle, pause, correct their course, and then elevate against all odds. He expertly makes you feel the defeat that so many people in urban communities experience daily, and then he sends your spirits soaring This book is a necessity because it engenders hope, enlightens the mind, and enriches the soul.