Neal,

I am Bob Carp. My girlfriend, Judy, and I met you at the Strictly Sail show in Chicago. I purchased a copy of JOURNEY OF A HOPE MERCHANT, and you asked if I would email you my thoughts.

Neal, you have led an incredible life, and have the gift to be able to express it in words in such a way that one can not only see it, but can also feel it, and experience it emotionally. I have to tell you; I am an Ex-Marine Viet Nam Veteran and capable of masking my feelings about most things, but as I read the closing words of this manuscript, I was in tears. I heard my girlfriend walking toward my office, so I shut them off. Judy asked? "How is the book?" I looked at her, turned my head and started crying. She said, "Tell me, tell me what's wrong?" I picked your book up off the desk and handed it to her. I have already summarized most of it for her as I read it. When I am reading a good book, I often summarize the charpters I've read, at the end of the day. I could not do this with the last three chapters of this work. I simply handed it to her and said, "Read the last three chapters." She walked toward the living room, and I wiped tears from my eyes. A short while later she walked into my office with glistening eyes and said, "It's beautiful," and kissed me.
Neal, you are an extremely courageous individual and I salute you, a Marine salute, a salute signifying the honor and respect you deserve, not just from me, but from everyone.

I knew when I met you that you were not an ordinary person. But, your broad smile and happy demeanor betrays the hardship and adversity you have endured, and that makes you even more special. To live the life you have lived and still embrace life with unquestionable optimism is incredible. THANK YOU!
You humble fans,

Bob Carp and Judy Walldorff