In the October release of his fifty-page devotional Legend: A Father’s Prayer for His Son, Biology and Advanced Placement Computer Science teacher Darius James has showcased his faith and love of the youth.

This was James’s literary debut, meaning there were just some things that he didn’t know going into it. Nonetheless, he was confident in his decision to go down the self-publishing route.

“I prefer [self-publishing] because with going through a publisher, you don’t necessarily own your book; you publish under them, so they can tell you ‘Well, I don’t want you to write ano ther sequel to this one’—‘How about this idea instead?’ [There are] some limitations with that, but with self- publishing, I own the rights to my book…and I receive royalties to my book,” James said.

James’s devotional is targeted towards father-son relationships or any strong male relationships one might have. According to James, he saw a need for a better representation of this specific dynamic.

“I know that some young men grow up without strong male figures,” James said. “The book I had in mind [was for] the male figures that decide to be in young men’s lives that are not their father to… provide a sense of spiritual support to the young men.”

James’s club Next Gen Men, a faith-based, mentorship program and experience as a former college pastor also inspired his book. This strong passion for Evangelism started with Saturday night services for colleges and continued with devoting months of writing to satisfy a need he sees in his community.

“I love the ministry. I love the next generation…I just love the youth period,” James said.