An Author, husband, father, grandfather, great-grand father, ordained Elder, and Christian, Ralph W. Hawthorne has many titles, which have been the hallmark of the successful transformation of his life. Hailing from Rockford, Illinois, Ralph has been married for close to three decades to his loving wife, Leteena, with whom they are blessed with four sons, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. A staunch Christian for the past 29 years, Ralph is strongly passionate and dedicated to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others in the society who are feeling lost, rejected, and overcome with a sense of hopelessness.     In his debut book, Pimp, Player, Preacher: My Life of Gangs, Guns, Drugs and God, Ralph divulges his life experiences before surrendering his life to Jesus Christ. Ralph was a former player, pimp, gang member, drug dealer, chronic alcoholic, and drug addict. His breakthrough moment came in the most unlikely of places, in the back seat of a police car, where he vividly remembers hearing the voice of God ask him, “Son! You have tried everything else, why don’t you just try me?”       A true and living testament of God’s grace and mercy. Ralph's book captures the readers’ attention as he shares his struggles and commitment to overcome his past life and live on to serve God fully. After 29 years of a drug and crime-free and happy life, Ralph is a perfect example of the scripture that says, “Whom the son sets free is free indeed” John 8:36.