Friday Jun 01 2012 3:52 PM

Author Jake Dekker will speak and sign copies of his important book that chronicles the path of a boy who was abandoned at infancy, beaten and tortured at 5, placed in foster care at 7 and - against all odds - adopted at 10 in Pierce County.

Dekker, author of "One Kid At A Time," is making his appearance at the invitation of Pierce County Juvenile Court Guardians ad Litem (GAL) and local judicial officials. The event is scheduled for June 13, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at King's Books, 218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma.

The story of how Dekker came to adopt his son has been called "positive, inspiring, exemplary and deeply spiritual" by Mel White, author of "Stranger at the Gate." But the book is also about a system struggling to improve outcomes for kids and families.

More information is available on Dekker's Facebook page, located at www.facebook.com/jakedekkerbooks. And here is the book's description from Amazon:

Danny had no chance. His mother abandoned him. His father in prison didn't know him. His grandmother beat him so badly that the doctors couldn't count the bruises. He lived nonstop days of unending anxiety, loneliness and terror. Ordered into foster care, the system isolated, drugged and betrayed him.

Jake lived the good life. Warm friendships, plenty of money and freedom to do what he enjoyed. From the outside he had the perfect existence. But inside he longed for a child.

This true, heartwarming story reveals that miracles occur in everyday life. Enjoyable and uplifting, "One Kid at a Time" will empower - and encourage - everyone who reads it.