Breaking Free

"Breaking Free: When My Hero Turned Into My Abuser" is a memoir about a boy struggling through both sexual and mental harassment, how it changed him, and how it informed his growth as an adult. A successful businessman became his father figure, allowing him to live with his wife and children in a welcome escape from his childhood of poverty. Within a few years, however, he felt entrapped by the man's domineering personality and obsession with transforming him into a sexual partner. He rejected the idea but was conflicted by his respect for the man who had achieved so much, given him many opportunities, and made him a surrogate son and big brother. "Breaking Free" raises issues facing the mentally ill, drug-addicted, and closeted gay men. At heart, it recounts a decades-long battle to maintain dignity, overcome denial, and learn positive lessons from an intense connection to a talented, troubled man.