Father's Touch, Part 1

You know that sometimes you meet someone and you just click right from the start? Somehow when I first got a message from Donald D'haene that he would be in Chicago for the taping of the Oprah show, I just felt a connection. I could not explain it at the time and probably would still struggle to explain it. When I got a copy of his book, "Father's Touch", I wasn't sure how it would affect me as I read it. After talking to him and getting to know him a little more, I knew that I had to read this book no matter how hard it triggered me.

Surprisingly, I found the book was written in a way that was not so overwhelming to me. The book is written in such a way that captivates you and makes you want to know what is coming next. It is hard to put down and I found myself reading many pages at a time. There were some very difficult parts for me to read that did take me back to those moments of my life's story. However, Donald has such a way of sharing the story of his life so while it pushed my limits, it did not seem to go over them. I'm at a different place in my life and healing than I once was so maybe if I would have read this book a few years ago, it would be different.

I realize we all have our stories and to each of us, they are different. Even though some of the scenarios played out differently for Donald, I found that we had some strong similarities between his life and my life. The players and the scenes were different but in all stories of abuse and trauma, there are underlying themes that connect with others.

As I read the book, I wrote to a friend of mine in an email, the follow words.

I can’t believe the words I am reading. I thought this only happened in our house. This story is eerie but I cannot put it down. Maybe it helps me piece things together and maybe it helps me just know that what I went through is what happened – sometimes I try to trick myself into believing it is not. It is like someone else has written so much about my life, but it isn’t me.

Please come back tomorrow as I go into more detail about the various parts that really stood out and touched my life. There is just too much to write in one post. This book is a must read as it really tells the story in such a way that you grasp what some boys have endured (and girls as well).

Here are the links to all three parts of this book review.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Click here to Purchase the book on Amazon, Father's Touch.


(c) 11/9/10 by Don Shetterly - use by permission only