My Fathers: Letters of Healing on a Quest for the Truth by Len Prazych brings us a story of the author’s quest to come to terms with abuse at the hands of his parish priest as well as the ensuing silence from his father that crippled their relationship up to the end. The memoir is a short, easy read, but the subject matte is heavy.
At times I had a hard time getting through the book because of the subject but when I finished it I knew this would be a novel I would recommend to anyone who has experienced the loss of a parent or loved one that is looking for relatable material that may encourage your own path to healing and grieving.
I had David look through the story and he liked how the Author wrote letters to his dad. As for Charlie I didn’t share this memoir with him but kept the book to share with Charlie when he is older. Sexual abuse is a subject everyone needs to read.
Especially if someone has dealt with sexual abuse which my sister has dealt with from my brother and that is why I plan on giving her a copy of My Fathers: Letters of Healing on a Quest for the Truth for her to share with her family.
About the book:
Can a 15-second “incident” that happened to an 11-year-old altar boy in his parent’s bedroom a half-century ago forever change the course of his life and the trusting relationship he had with his _two_ fathers: his biological one and the beloved parish priest who sexually molested him?
In “My Fathers: Letters of Healing on a Quest for the Truth,” Len Prazych shares his story in a series of intimate letters to his recently deceased father, while trying to learn what _really _happened on a sweltering August night in 1971 in Bayonne, NJ.
Unlike salacious tales and tabloid headlines that describe multiple incidents of horrific sexual abuse at the hands of priests who preyed upon unsuspecting altar boys and other vulnerable children over years or decades, “My Fathers” is a story healing told by “one who got away,” and his 50-year quest to learn the truth about his perhaps not-so-pious father and his predatory priest.
Clearly and respectfully written, this profanity-free and poignant story will strike a very personal chord with survivors of abuse, their parents or guardians and anyone else impacted by the behavior of priests and their protector, the Catholic Church.
About the Author: Len Prazych
Len Prazych has been a professional writer for most of his adult life, first as a freelancer, then as owner of his public relations, marketing, and advertising company, then as editor-in-chief of a weekly trade magazine. He enjoyed a non-traditional education, earning both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology at age 35, then his master’s degree at 45 in the Psychology of Narrative, during which he researched and experienced the remarkable power of writing to heal physically and emotionally.
Prazych’s thesis on writing therapy helped him through his divorce at age 47, as well as the experience he had when he was 11, which he shares in “My Fathers: Letters of Healing on a Quest for the Truth,” his first book. Born and raised in New Jersey, he now lives in upstate New York.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
