I've read this book a few times, and will never forget it. The abuse was just... horrific. I know a previous reviewer said they wonder if it's fabricated... all's I can say is remember the Holocaust. Those poor people in concentration camps went through horrible, awful things (unnecessary surgeries, human experimentation, etc) and lived through it. Sometimes it's not the injury or problem... it's the will to survive. That's the best part of this entire book. It truly shows you how strong the will to survive can be. This man made it through the worst a human being can conceive of in a family home, and came out to be a BETTER person for it. It's truly a great, riveting read. Don't read it in public though - it makes you cry! Once I read this one, I had to find the others as well, to know this man rose from the worst he could suffer in to a prize winning author is amazing.