Have you ever been in love---with a person you didn't know, had never met, and had never seen in person? This seems impossible to most people, but to a troubled 16-year-old boy, this scenario was not only possible, it became a reality. The kidnapping, rape and murder of 7-year-old Melissa Ackerman of rural Somonauk, Illinois, in June, 1985, was a crime which shook the entire community, and brought forth the dark and evil side of human nature. Whereas most people were outraged and saddended by the crime---and then were able to move on to the next news story---one young man found himself so consumed by these emotions that his entire life---and the lives of those around him---would be changed forever. I am that young man. Essential Innocence chronicles my struggles to cope with this tragedy. With a simple, diary-like format and clear, concise style, it also focuses upon other difficulities of youth---personal relationships, sexual feelings, and my own brother's murder a few years earlier. Controversy is ingrained in the story, which also covers topics such as child molestation and suicide. Essential Innocence will be a fascinating book for those of us who remember youth as a confusing and painful time, to teenagers as a guide of hope, and to anyone touched by death who seeks the answer to one question: Why?