Walk to Beautiful: The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid Who Found the Way

A New York Times bestseller! Imagine yourself a thirteen-year-old hundreds of miles away from home, in a strange city, and your mom leaves you at a bus station parking lot and drives off into the night with her lover.

That’s the real-life story of country music star Jimmy Wayne. It’s a miracle that Jimmy survived being hungry and homeless, bouncing in and out of the foster care system, and sleeping in the streets. But he didn’t just overcome great adversity in his life; he now uses his country music platform to help children everywhere, especially teenagers in foster care who are about to age out of the system.

Walk to Beautiful is the powerfully emotive account of Jimmy’s horrendous childhood and the love he received from Russell and Bea Costner, the elderly couple who gave him a stable home and provided the chance to complete his education. Jimmy says of Bea, “She changed every cell in my body.”

This moving memoir chronicles:

• Jimmy’s life as a foster child and homeless teenager
• His adoption by Russell and Bea Costner, an elderly couple who gave him a stable home and provided the opportunities for him to thrive
• His surprising rise to fame in the music industry
• His tireless advocacy for children in the foster care system through his Meet Me Halfway awareness campaign, a 1,700 mile walk halfway across America from Nashville to Phoenix

Join Jimmy on his walk to beautiful and see how one person really can make a difference.

Jimmy Wayne is a former foster kid turned country music singer/songwriter whose songs, story, and walk halfway across America in 2010 continue to help bring awareness to kids who age out of the foster system and become homeless. He earned the prestigious “Million-Air Award” for receiving one million radio spins of his song "Do You Believe Me Now." He is the author of Walk to Beautiful, his New York Times best-selling memoir, and the author of the novel and made-for-TV movie Paper Angels. Jimmy lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Ken Abraham is a New York Times best-selling author known around the world for his collaborations with high-profile public figures. A former professional musician and pastor, he is a popular guest with both secular and religious media. His books include One Soldier's Story with Bob Dole, Payne Stewart with Tracey Stewart, Falling in Love for All the Right Reasons with Dr. Neil Clark Warren, and Let's Roll! with Lisa Beamer.