The Stolen Heart (Paperback or Softback)

Life starts swirling around Gene after the death of Jesus.

Sarah and Maxine, two women from Gene's past, come back into his life and devote their lives to supporting his causes-long term care for Vietnam vets, supporting the indigenous women and keeping Hawaii Hawaiian.

Death, new life, and new alliances occur within Leilani's Hawaiian ohana (family). Amid these changes, expansion and a welcoming of lost native Hawaiian's expands the beauty of the Hawaiian community.

Gene's indigenous family in Shasta County also rock this love story. They have planned and plotted for decades to create a society that values the contributions of the indigenous women. When unplanned events happen in Hawaii, these people's dreams are threatened.

Who can make the greatest impact on the dreams Gene has? Gene always attracts persons who add value to his life and to the world around them. One by one, these persons step up and surprise us with their acts of selflessness to make the world a better place. Some recognize the plight of the homeless Vietnam war veterans, some recognize a need to empower women where they can and some want to use advances in science to bring about change in the world. With energy and resources behind them, they wind us through an intricate web of interconnected love and exciting progress.

Ernest Spencer is a Hawaiian born Korean American. Born in the mid 1940's, he joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1963.

During his second year in college, where he was studying philosophy, he "was overwhelmed by the futility of reason as an effective force in life." Disillusioned by reason, his life did not make sense to him. He was drawn to the Marine Corps by the sense of belonging. The Corps also offered him the chance to confront life rather than read about it. Spencer states, "I could confront life by going to the edge, or at least what I perceived as the edge: Existence itself."

In 1967, he was sent to lead a line unit (an infantry unit) that is at Khe Sanh, the 1st Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment. There were four rifle companies in this infantry battalion: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta. Spencer commanded Delta. He recalls "you have got to understand what it means to a 24-year-old guy who's macho to be made a commanding officer of a rifle company in combat. He is Jesus Christ himself." He was also the first Korean American to command a marine rifle company in combat.

Since his time in Vietnam, Spencer founded a publishing company.

Now, after enjoying retirement, he has founded a non-profit to support education in his beloved Hawaii. He is now writing a historical fiction trilogy and self-narrating his books for the audio book market.

And keeping his softball skills up!