Let’s see where to begin…
I was born in 1958, somewhere in San Francisco, in some hospital (I think), on some street (hopefully not literally), at some odd hour of the day…or, maybe, it was at night. Who knows? She refuses to tell me. Trust me, I’ve asked, many times.
I am the second of eight full-blooded siblings. However, my father was prolific and had twenty-four children that I know of. I have no clue what number I am in our vast fratrem group.
Before graduating high school, I went to eleven grade schools, lived in twenty-one different spots, and was evicted from three houses. And you know, with all that excitement my education was spotty at best.
So, with my lack of formal education, what made me think I could write a book about my experience grappling with my four sister’s sexual abuse and trauma at the hands of my stepfather and my complicit mother? The truth is, I didn’t. First, I searched for a book that could help me, a brother, understand my trauma. I really needed something from a brother’s viewpoint. I knew my chance of finding something, anything was, as the phrase goes, slim to none. None won.
When I asked experts if they’d ever heard of a book or article that could help me work through a brother’s trauma, they all said, “Nah, sorry, Keep.”
So, in light of that harsh reality, I decided to write a book for brothers, the first book of its kind. I wrote HELPLESSNESS to help me and other men and brothers cope with the pain, guilt, and shame of failing our sisters. I wrote HELPLESSNESS: The Mental Health Challenges Brothers Experience Once We Learn Our Sister Have Been Sexually Abused By Our Parents. HELPLESSNESS was written to let other men and brothers know that even in their silence, they are not alone.
Plus, I’ve been told I am a subject matter expert. I am sorry to say, I’d have to agree.
HELPLESSNESS is the first book in a three-book series. I am the creator of the companion podcast “This Is For The Brothers.”
Family life: I am married to a wonderful Jewish woman, Patti. Our children are Sydney and B.E., who is married to our delightful daughter-in-law, Tomi. I have a golden German Shepherd, ODIN. And, whenever I can, I go to Disneyland and love family movie nights. I live in Southern California.