Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is releasing a 45th-anniversary edition of the Christian classic The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson with John and Elizabeth Sherrill in April.

Since its original publication in 1963, the book has sold more than 15 million copies, introduced readers to the struggles of inner-city youth recruited by gangs and chronicled the origins of the Teen Challenge ministry.

The special edition will feature a foreword by Charles Colson, a detailed epilogue by Wilkerson and an additional epilogue on current gang activity by Wilkerson's brother Don Wilkerson, founder of Global Teen Challenge.

Jane Campbell, editorial director for Chosen, said the book's theme of spiritual transformation is timeless.

"The spiritual need of the human heart and the power of Jesus Christ to meet that need and transform that heart have never changed, regardless of circumstances," she told Christian Retailing.

Campbell explained the book's popularity as readers "love accounts of life transformation, and time has borne out the genuineness of this one. This book has both drama and spiritual reality."

The Cross and the Switchblade: 45th Anniversary Edition will retail for $14.99.

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