A compelling tale
Sometimes one seemingly ?normal? encounter can send you down a path of redemption and resolution. Jason Wood, at the age of 40, experienced such an encounter, which compelled him to search out his birth parents. He?d always known he was adopted but haunted by questions unanswered and logical anger fueled what he?d endured growing up propelled him to seek closure.
A product of biracial genetics, Jason was adopted as a child by a well-to-do Caucasian family in Half Moon Bay, an idyllic community just south of San Francisco. It was a typical small town bringing to mind a Norman Rockwell painting come to life. Here, in Half Moon Bay, residents didn?t worry about locking their doors and neighbors, under the guise of nosiness, took pride in knowing their own.
Regrettably, in one house, in Half Moon Bay, the unthinkable occurred because when Jason reached a certain age, he caught his adopted father?s notice and not in a god way. What followed was years of sexual abuse by a man who had promised to protect him in a home that should?ve been a haven. And school offered no respite as Jason was forced to endure the whip of racism by classmates.
This book is a raw, honest and unapologetic recounting of a boy?s loss of innocence and his descent into rebellion to escape the shame and isolation. It?s a coming-of-age story with a razor-sharp edge that reveals the underbelly of pedophilia, racism; and later on, Jason?s drug and alcohol use, and his own descent into domestic abuse. It seethes with a reality many would prefer never have to think about. Indeed, the subject matter is disturbing and thorny. Still, Jason managed to also impart a slew of entertaining moments while he learned to ?adjust,? he matured, when he eventually gained enough courage to yank away from the reins entrapping him.
What I enjoyed about this book is that Jason doesn?t ? for a lack of a better word ? whitewash his journey or his own revelations. And not once did I sense him feeling sorry for himself. Certainly, there was condemnation, but there was also a great deal of acceptance of his own accountability in his actions. Overall, it?s a compelling story that shows the strengths and the flaws of a man who has seen up close the worst.
I cried, I laughed, I was outraged. It invoked my both sympathy and empathy. But mostly, I finished this book with tremendous admiration for the courage to bare his soul and in that, discover the man he has and will become.
Favorite excerpt: ??When you ask yourself what a monster is, how do you answer? Is a monster covered in horns with fire blazing out of his mouth? Does he eat little children for breakfast or have no understanding of love? Maybe. But, if a monster was born it would have to have a mother and a father at some point. It most likely has someone who loves it and doesn?t look at it as a monster. To them the monster may go by another name, a father, a mother, a friend, cousin, teacher, cop, tow truck driver, bill collector, judge or doctor. To the monster himself he simply is. He sees himself as just doing what he is called to do. He is neither good nor bad. He just is?.?
