Excavating pieces: An American Childhood

For a small boy with a big imagination, Ionia is a place of wonders. Its woods are enchanted, its houses full of treasure—crystal balls, flying carpets, magic potions. As time goes by, however, Patrick begins to wonder if what goes on in his own house is normal. Life at home has been deteriorating ever since his mother married George, a factory roustabout with a terrifying temper. To protect himself from his stepfather’s violence, Patrick must remain hyper vigilant. Then his mother starts working the night shift, leaving George in charge . . . This complex tale of a Michigan boyhood illuminates a subject of universal concern: the shocking number of American men—an estimated one in six—who have been sexually abused as children. Author Patrick Husted digs deep into his own past to reveal how such abuse can occur and how it can affect a male victim well into adulthood. Told with devastating candor and doses of humor, his story offers hope to millions of men and their loved ones. (“An anatomy of survival, which could prove vital to those marked by sexual abuse.” —Kirkus Reviews)