Rob, new subscriber. Received your book and read it cover to cover last night. I literally could not put it down and paid for it by sleeping in too late today. I have 4 nieces who were adopted as a group at young ages by well-to-do in-laws. But the damage done in early childhood has so far, not been enough to overcome their propensity for continued, 'bad choices'. Covid sure didn't help either when a few of them graduated HS. We just continue to love on them, encourage, and try to reach out to know we are there to support. One of them has thankfully found Christ, which is proving to be a lifeline. Thank you for your bravery to tell your story. I'm in my 5th decade now and it wasn't until my mid-40's that I clinically confronted my own childhood trauma, understood how that prevented me from properly emotionally connecting to my wife. I grew up 3 of 5, with 2 parents. But it wasn't always easy. I remember by parents losing their home in 1982 to the bank (interest rates were like 16%!) and we were 'saved' by my grandfather, who by God's grace let my family of 7 move in with him from 6th grade until 10th. Many of us 'run' to varying degrees upon reaching adulthood. Your running and then getting help to stop that run was one of the most extreme I've ever read. I bet you remain eternally thankful that that Alan entered your life when he did. I was scared to face my own traumas, but like many of our fears in life, once we confront and lay bare our vulnerabilities, we can't help but share/talk about them -- especially with those who might be experiencing the same. BTW, I was born in the old Madigan hospital and grew up the first 7 years of my life on McCord AFB. Not sure where you were at in Germany, but I myself was stationed at Kaiserslautern/Ramstein in early 90's (Army National Guard, 1st Gulf War). And yeah, like you, the GI Bill was my ticket to a whole new world. One thing I'll always be thankful for is my life in the Military. Wasn't my final destination but my word did I see meritocracy in motion for all races and creeds and wouldn't trade that back in for anything.
Congratulations on the long awaited launch! I pre-ordered your book last June; I heard my iPad “ding” around midnight last night and opened it to see the book had dropped. I’m so looking forward to reading it. I predict a major best seller and probably a movie as well!
I just finished _Troubled._ Well done, sir. My son asked me how it was, a chapter or so in, and I told him "It's like a novel, but with facts." I think this book will really get through to people. I will pass it on to folks at my daughter's school; I think it has the potential to be incorporated into reading lists and curricula, as Tara Westover's _Educated_ has been.
I recognize so much of my far-off childhood in your stories of youthful indiscretion, and so much of my disorientation among my peers at college. I too grew up poor, moving a lot, with absentee or unreliable parents, working (and drinking) from an early age. My (now deceased) mother was a good friend to me until I left home at fifteen, and my (estranged) father has some admirable qualities, but they both made bad decisions that I did not repeat.
My two children are growing up in a stable, two-parent household where they know they are loved and know they can count on their parents, advantages I did not have. We read to and with them, as you say, not because we hope it will improve their vocabularies, but because it's another confirmation that we love them. I will pass your book on to my son now. Once again, thank you for sharing your story with us.
Talk about work ethic and resilience!
Congratulations!
(I bought your book through Audible.com., thanks for the link.)
Can't wait to dive in. Got my notification from Amazon that it should arrive today! Congratulations!
See it in my Kindle list. Congratulations Rob!
Congratulations, Rob. I bought it on Audible.
Rob, new subscriber. Received your book and read it cover to cover last night. I literally could not put it down and paid for it by sleeping in too late today. I have 4 nieces who were adopted as a group at young ages by well-to-do in-laws. But the damage done in early childhood has so far, not been enough to overcome their propensity for continued, 'bad choices'. Covid sure didn't help either when a few of them graduated HS. We just continue to love on them, encourage, and try to reach out to know we are there to support. One of them has thankfully found Christ, which is proving to be a lifeline. Thank you for your bravery to tell your story. I'm in my 5th decade now and it wasn't until my mid-40's that I clinically confronted my own childhood trauma, understood how that prevented me from properly emotionally connecting to my wife. I grew up 3 of 5, with 2 parents. But it wasn't always easy. I remember by parents losing their home in 1982 to the bank (interest rates were like 16%!) and we were 'saved' by my grandfather, who by God's grace let my family of 7 move in with him from 6th grade until 10th. Many of us 'run' to varying degrees upon reaching adulthood. Your running and then getting help to stop that run was one of the most extreme I've ever read. I bet you remain eternally thankful that that Alan entered your life when he did. I was scared to face my own traumas, but like many of our fears in life, once we confront and lay bare our vulnerabilities, we can't help but share/talk about them -- especially with those who might be experiencing the same. BTW, I was born in the old Madigan hospital and grew up the first 7 years of my life on McCord AFB. Not sure where you were at in Germany, but I myself was stationed at Kaiserslautern/Ramstein in early 90's (Army National Guard, 1st Gulf War). And yeah, like you, the GI Bill was my ticket to a whole new world. One thing I'll always be thankful for is my life in the Military. Wasn't my final destination but my word did I see meritocracy in motion for all races and creeds and wouldn't trade that back in for anything.
Congratulations! Looking forward to reading the book.
CONGRATULATIONS 🎉🎈
Looking forward to reading it this weekend. My copy should arrive from Thriftbooks soon!
Congrats and happy book launch day. 🎉 I can’t wait to read it!
And I see it is soon to be in the collections at the Library of Congress
catalog.loc.gov (in processing obviously) https://lccn.loc.gov/2023008345
Congratulations on the long awaited launch! I pre-ordered your book last June; I heard my iPad “ding” around midnight last night and opened it to see the book had dropped. I’m so looking forward to reading it. I predict a major best seller and probably a movie as well!
My two copies should arrive today by 10pm EST. One for me, one to donate/give away. Congratulations, Rob! Tempted to listen on audible as well ;)
Mine just shipped
I just finished _Troubled._ Well done, sir. My son asked me how it was, a chapter or so in, and I told him "It's like a novel, but with facts." I think this book will really get through to people. I will pass it on to folks at my daughter's school; I think it has the potential to be incorporated into reading lists and curricula, as Tara Westover's _Educated_ has been.
I recognize so much of my far-off childhood in your stories of youthful indiscretion, and so much of my disorientation among my peers at college. I too grew up poor, moving a lot, with absentee or unreliable parents, working (and drinking) from an early age. My (now deceased) mother was a good friend to me until I left home at fifteen, and my (estranged) father has some admirable qualities, but they both made bad decisions that I did not repeat.
My two children are growing up in a stable, two-parent household where they know they are loved and know they can count on their parents, advantages I did not have. We read to and with them, as you say, not because we hope it will improve their vocabularies, but because it's another confirmation that we love them. I will pass your book on to my son now. Once again, thank you for sharing your story with us.
I was happy to find it in my Amazon packages today. Congratulations!
Congratulations!! Huge accomplishment. Looking forward to receiving my copy! And I sent copies to two friends. ☺️