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Rabbit Hole: A Satanic Ritual Abuse Survivor's Story
From the nationwide satanic panic in the 1980s to local political cover-ups, shocking kidnappings, unsolved child murders, and scandalous pedophile rings, this book takes you behind the deceptive headlines and, finally, reveals what was going on in Omaha when all hell broke loose. Rich and well-connected members of Omaha's elite carried out unspeakable acts of abuse and even murder on innocent children. David Shurter was one of those sexually abused survivors forever scarred by the horrible rites performed on him by his own parents and other followers of Satan. It wasn't until he entered psychotherapy in midlife that long ignored childhood memories came to light, and when he discovered his gruesome nightmares were indeed real. This book, finally, is an expose of the surprising participants and unbelievable horrors involving murder, drugs, lavish parties, pedophiles, suspected government conspiracies, and the Omaha gay scene that cast a dark cloud of suspicion over an unsuspecting city. David Shurter takes you down the rabbit hole.
292 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 2012
204 people are currently reading
1187 people want to read
About the author
David Shurter
3 books25 followersHello, my name is David Shurter and I want to bring further awareness to Ritual Abuse and Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA). My father, way back when I was a child, was a performing high priest in a cult that was practicing in Omaha NE during the 60′s and 70′s, and I built this site in order to investigate the activities that he and his friends were involved with. Much of what I am speaking about also deals with men who were involved in a failed financial institution here in Omaha, NE called the Franklin Credit Union. Drugs, child trafficking, and murder were all a part of this ring, and I wanted to further expose the crimes that were happening here in Omaha. Before my father died, he told people that he had “skeletons in his closet” and that he had “committed crimes against children”. I wanted to dedicate this site to exposing those skeletons, in order to bring peace to the families that my family hurt.
However, my intention has changed. I still want to bring awareness to the aspects of Ritual Abuse and SRA, as well as how these relate to the human trafficking issue that is so prevalent in today’s society. In my opinion, there will never really be a sense of justice concerning Omaha’s past, nor will there ever be resolution. Writing “Rabbit Hole” was my attempt at explaining and dealing with my past, and the videos that I have made have been a way to further explore those aspects surrounding my childhood and my family; but now I wish to explore what my life is like today, now that I am past such abuse. As a fellow survivor of extreme abuse, I believe that maybe my explorations into my life as it is now may help others who are suffering from many of the same things that I have endured, and perhaps may help some find their way to healing. In the past, much of the focus has been on the perpetrators; my intention however is to reach out to the victims in order to hopefully strengthen them in a way that allows them to let go of the pain so that they may learn to embrace life. In doing so, I hope to help myself find a better sense of resolution than what I have previously focused on, and learn more about myself in the process.
However, my intention has changed. I still want to bring awareness to the aspects of Ritual Abuse and SRA, as well as how these relate to the human trafficking issue that is so prevalent in today’s society. In my opinion, there will never really be a sense of justice concerning Omaha’s past, nor will there ever be resolution. Writing “Rabbit Hole” was my attempt at explaining and dealing with my past, and the videos that I have made have been a way to further explore those aspects surrounding my childhood and my family; but now I wish to explore what my life is like today, now that I am past such abuse. As a fellow survivor of extreme abuse, I believe that maybe my explorations into my life as it is now may help others who are suffering from many of the same things that I have endured, and perhaps may help some find their way to healing. In the past, much of the focus has been on the perpetrators; my intention however is to reach out to the victims in order to hopefully strengthen them in a way that allows them to let go of the pain so that they may learn to embrace life. In doing so, I hope to help myself find a better sense of resolution than what I have previously focused on, and learn more about myself in the process.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
October 31, 2012
I actually grew up with David. Having known his dad and step-mom, sorry to say, I'm not surprised. I was shocked to find out what he went through as a kid. Glad he turned out to be the guy he is after all he went through. Wish they'd actually look into this more.
August 8, 2017
Hands down, it's one of the most frightening and horrific abuse stories I've ever read. I do believe his memories are authentic from his childhood, and from what it did to his life, I really have to applaud his sustained determination to better himself through therapy. I especially liked his whole interest in and acceptance of Shamanism when it was suggested as a way to heal himself also. How he dove right into learning about it and doing it without qualms. Quite impressive. The book has renewed my belief in the existence of satanic ritual abuse that had been mostly debunked years ago, reinstating them once again after reading this. I was given a copy of the book to review by NetGalley, Concierge Marketing Inc, and the author in return for my unbiased review.
March 5, 2013
Nothing like a good old conspiracy between the FBI, the media, both Presidents Bush and the Freemasons to form the basis of a book. I have no doubt the author had a troubled childhood but he offered no corroborating evidence to conclude it was part of a vast cult of satanic abuse. Some purported newspaper clips of selected events were included, but the reader is left to use his or her imagination to connect the dots. Even if you accept it as a work of fiction, it's not a well written or particularly interesting book.
September 2, 2017
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book that deals with sexual, physical, and mental abuse, and some of it does involve children. So, Trigger Warning for those elements.
This is a very hard book to rate/review. This deals with a lot of really disturbing and emotional elements: religion, sexual and mental abuse of children, Satanism and many other things.
I honestly don't know what to say. I've seen a few reviews saying they dont believe Shurter and think he's making it all up or that he's crazy. I, personally, don't know what to believe. I think it's always dangerous to discount someone who says they were raped/abused as a child. But false allegations can be just as dangerous. Due to all the things he admits to doing in this book, I have to believe the core of his story.
This is an interesting look into the kind of damage sexual and mental abuse of a child can have on a person in the long run. It also has a nice little chapter addressed to abuse survivors.
I'm at a loss for words after reading this. It's relatively short but I had to stop often due to the graphic content. Most of the worst parts of his sexual abuse don't go into graphic detail, but just knowing what happened was bad enough.
If you have the stomach for books like this, I highly recommend it, as it's a good book despite my 3 star rating.
This is a book that deals with sexual, physical, and mental abuse, and some of it does involve children. So, Trigger Warning for those elements.
This is a very hard book to rate/review. This deals with a lot of really disturbing and emotional elements: religion, sexual and mental abuse of children, Satanism and many other things.
I honestly don't know what to say. I've seen a few reviews saying they dont believe Shurter and think he's making it all up or that he's crazy. I, personally, don't know what to believe. I think it's always dangerous to discount someone who says they were raped/abused as a child. But false allegations can be just as dangerous. Due to all the things he admits to doing in this book, I have to believe the core of his story.
This is an interesting look into the kind of damage sexual and mental abuse of a child can have on a person in the long run. It also has a nice little chapter addressed to abuse survivors.
I'm at a loss for words after reading this. It's relatively short but I had to stop often due to the graphic content. Most of the worst parts of his sexual abuse don't go into graphic detail, but just knowing what happened was bad enough.
If you have the stomach for books like this, I highly recommend it, as it's a good book despite my 3 star rating.
September 14, 2017
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from netgalley
So this isn't what I expected. I'm a big fan of true crime documentaries and books around childhood difficulties. Not in an enjoyment way? But I have my masters in development and psychopathology so I find, what people are capable of - particularly children - really fascinating.
Anyway, this wasn't really that. This was the aftermath of the abuse and it had vey spiritual and religious overtones. I found a lot of it hard to believe. Not saying I didn't believe it, but in a 'wow the world is cruel'
The writing isn't great. It's all over the place at times. But the author is reliving his experiences and memories and I imagine they don't always come in an order.
It's opened my mind and I'll probably do some research around it, but it wasn't an overly easy read. I'd recommend if you have an interest in conspiracy theories rather than true crime.
So this isn't what I expected. I'm a big fan of true crime documentaries and books around childhood difficulties. Not in an enjoyment way? But I have my masters in development and psychopathology so I find, what people are capable of - particularly children - really fascinating.
Anyway, this wasn't really that. This was the aftermath of the abuse and it had vey spiritual and religious overtones. I found a lot of it hard to believe. Not saying I didn't believe it, but in a 'wow the world is cruel'
The writing isn't great. It's all over the place at times. But the author is reliving his experiences and memories and I imagine they don't always come in an order.
It's opened my mind and I'll probably do some research around it, but it wasn't an overly easy read. I'd recommend if you have an interest in conspiracy theories rather than true crime.
Want to read
September 3, 2017I am having trouble with the way this book is written. At the very least, it needs a lot of editing. There are also a lot of accusations made about people and I can't find much corroboration.
September 22, 2016
I just admire the author's courage to write this all and make it public. Personally, at the moment I am facing probably the most challenging time in my life. So I tend to get caught by self pity being all alone. But this book made me feel my troubles are so minute. This book explains all those physical and psychological hardship that the author had to go through. To me what spoke the most was the psychological hardship. Some loneliness depicted here I really understand now and somehow felt relieved that a human being will be able to get out of such times after a while. It may not be happening to me yet but I just felt better someone got out of loneliness in a way. I used to stir up such loneliness with alcohol but I stopped it to really face what's in front of me. I believe writing about your past is to accept who you are, however hard it is, once you accept, that becomes a foundation block of your life and from then on a person can truly start building the life. It might be a hard thing to do, but I think things can be slow, walk 3 steps forward and might do 5 steps back, but walk 4 steps more from there, then we are 1 step forward. And I believe it's never the same anyway, when things seem to drag you back, it looks like a same place but it's a little higher than the last time. I believe life is spiraling up like that. In a word, this book made me think in a positive way when I tend to feel negative. And I am grateful this book was there.
October 31, 2012
Shocking, stunning, horrifying and triumphant. This beautifully written book will take you through the underworld of Omaha that is hidden by the most powerful people in the city.
January 23, 2018
I literally don't even want to review this book.
I had such high hopes to get an inside look into the survivor's abuse that he suffered while his family was involved in a Satanic cult.
Too bad that's not the book I got.
Rabbit Hole: A Satanic Ritual Abuse Survivor's Story, written by survivor David Shurter, is NOTHING like the title suggests.
Now, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. I fully believe he had a traumatic childhood, one that obviously hurt him throughout his entire life. His family was not anywhere close to perfect. I believe that growing up the way he did significantly altered how he would view the world and how it shaped his personality.
HOWEVER, there is zero evidence to point to his family ever being involved with the Satanic Churches or anything of that nature. Although, he does mention a blood sacrifice and setting a man on fire in his family's basement. Yet when he brings this information to the police, they turn a blind eye? That doesn't sound right.....
Let me also point out, David speaks about Satanic practices and different affiliates of "high social standing" who happened to be covering up ALL of the "satanic panic" rumors. But he speaks as if his findings are fact, even though all of his information was found on forums, chat rooms, online videos, and different magazine articles. None of his information was found through credible sources. The one book that he references throughout the entire book was Cult and Ritual Abuse: Its History, Anthropology, and Recent Discovery in Contemporary America written by Noblitt and Perskin, which is very interesting because they also co-wrote Rabbit Hole with David. Not to mention their book has received serious heat because while the scientific evidence is somewhat accurate, the explanations are written very poorly.
So no, I will not be recommending this book to anyone under any circumstances.
This review and many others can be found on A Reader's Diary.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc!
I had such high hopes to get an inside look into the survivor's abuse that he suffered while his family was involved in a Satanic cult.
Too bad that's not the book I got.
Rabbit Hole: A Satanic Ritual Abuse Survivor's Story, written by survivor David Shurter, is NOTHING like the title suggests.
Now, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. I fully believe he had a traumatic childhood, one that obviously hurt him throughout his entire life. His family was not anywhere close to perfect. I believe that growing up the way he did significantly altered how he would view the world and how it shaped his personality.
HOWEVER, there is zero evidence to point to his family ever being involved with the Satanic Churches or anything of that nature. Although, he does mention a blood sacrifice and setting a man on fire in his family's basement. Yet when he brings this information to the police, they turn a blind eye? That doesn't sound right.....
Let me also point out, David speaks about Satanic practices and different affiliates of "high social standing" who happened to be covering up ALL of the "satanic panic" rumors. But he speaks as if his findings are fact, even though all of his information was found on forums, chat rooms, online videos, and different magazine articles. None of his information was found through credible sources. The one book that he references throughout the entire book was Cult and Ritual Abuse: Its History, Anthropology, and Recent Discovery in Contemporary America written by Noblitt and Perskin, which is very interesting because they also co-wrote Rabbit Hole with David. Not to mention their book has received serious heat because while the scientific evidence is somewhat accurate, the explanations are written very poorly.
So no, I will not be recommending this book to anyone under any circumstances.
This review and many others can be found on A Reader's Diary.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc!
November 8, 2013
People who claim not to believe Davids story are not only being very insensitive, they are also being very ignorant. David Shurter is a brave man. He has lived through a horrendous childhood. he didn't remember most of the events he was forced to live through. Only seeing his former handler, Colonel Michael Aquino of the US Army, on national TV brought the memories of the satanic ritual abuse back. Of course he isn't the only person to report on the child abuse network which went on in Omaha, Nebraska, during the 70s and 80s, and became known as the Franklin Scandal. He is one of the few survivors, because many children died. But very few (if any) of the high-placed perpetrators actually went to prison for their crimes.
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July 1, 2014I felt the same way after reading this book as I did after reading "A Child Called It." I can't believe that anyone can suffer this much abuse and turn out as great as Dave has. Dave has become a good friend through church.
September 17, 2017
Satanic Ritual Abuse, local political cover-ups, shocking kidnappings, unsolved child murders, and scandalous pedophile rings.
This is quite a hard book to review, to say i enjoyed it just feels wrong because of the subjects in the book.
It was hard reading and a bit confusing with how it was written in places jumping from narration to newspaper reports.
It is hard to believe some of the claims in the book but i am in no way discrediting the author as this was as very brave book to write let alone live.
The world is full of conspiracy theories between the FBI, the media and the Presidents and i have heard that some of the content in this book is just that as there seems to be no evidence backing parts of it up. But at the same time there is no evidence to discredit anything written in this book unless i have missed something.
Satanic rituals have always fascinated me but not in the sense i want to partake in anything like that, just the phycology behind what drives people to believe and become involved in cults.
This deals with a lot of really disturbing and emotional elements: religion, sexual and mental abuse of children, Satanism and many other things and has very graphic content so it certainly won’t be a book for everyone.
I think reading about abused children is always a very hard read and very upsetting, no matter how you feel about the book, the author or the contents of the book you can not help your heart from breaking for everyone involved.
Im glad i read it and made it to the end but it was a very tough read.
I hope with the publication of this book David Shurter gets the awareness he wants to bring to Ritual Abuse and Satanic Ritual Abuse he is trying to achieve and that by writing all the horrific things he was subjected to brings him some kind of peace.
This is quite a hard book to review, to say i enjoyed it just feels wrong because of the subjects in the book.
It was hard reading and a bit confusing with how it was written in places jumping from narration to newspaper reports.
It is hard to believe some of the claims in the book but i am in no way discrediting the author as this was as very brave book to write let alone live.
The world is full of conspiracy theories between the FBI, the media and the Presidents and i have heard that some of the content in this book is just that as there seems to be no evidence backing parts of it up. But at the same time there is no evidence to discredit anything written in this book unless i have missed something.
Satanic rituals have always fascinated me but not in the sense i want to partake in anything like that, just the phycology behind what drives people to believe and become involved in cults.
This deals with a lot of really disturbing and emotional elements: religion, sexual and mental abuse of children, Satanism and many other things and has very graphic content so it certainly won’t be a book for everyone.
I think reading about abused children is always a very hard read and very upsetting, no matter how you feel about the book, the author or the contents of the book you can not help your heart from breaking for everyone involved.
Im glad i read it and made it to the end but it was a very tough read.
I hope with the publication of this book David Shurter gets the awareness he wants to bring to Ritual Abuse and Satanic Ritual Abuse he is trying to achieve and that by writing all the horrific things he was subjected to brings him some kind of peace.
September 28, 2016
Like nothing you'll ever read
Pretty good read. Heart-breaking at times. I really only bought this as a reference tool in the regards to Omaha and the Franklin Credit Union. Before you go down this rabbit hole I would suggest preparing yourself. Watch "Who took Johnny", read DeCamp's "Franklin Cover-up" and Nick Bryants "Franklin Scandal". Then pull up "Conspiracy of Silence" on YouTube. Only then will you understand what was going on in Omaha. Only then can you really appreciate the author's story. However, if you are just looking for a story of overcoming an enormous struggle, you'll find it here and you do not need the prerequisites I have just mentioned.
Pretty good read. Heart-breaking at times. I really only bought this as a reference tool in the regards to Omaha and the Franklin Credit Union. Before you go down this rabbit hole I would suggest preparing yourself. Watch "Who took Johnny", read DeCamp's "Franklin Cover-up" and Nick Bryants "Franklin Scandal". Then pull up "Conspiracy of Silence" on YouTube. Only then will you understand what was going on in Omaha. Only then can you really appreciate the author's story. However, if you are just looking for a story of overcoming an enormous struggle, you'll find it here and you do not need the prerequisites I have just mentioned.
December 20, 2016
Connecting dots
The Rabbit Hole was well written easy to read flowed well. I had trouble putting the book down. Although the subject matter was very distressing the author describes his experiences in such a way as to not traumatize the reader with gruesome details however gets the point across. I have been interested in Shamanism and appreciate the description and experiences of the author. I would recommend this book to survivors of any type of abuse. Also to non-believers that deny the existence of the corruption going on in our country. I thank David Shurter for sharing his story.
The Rabbit Hole was well written easy to read flowed well. I had trouble putting the book down. Although the subject matter was very distressing the author describes his experiences in such a way as to not traumatize the reader with gruesome details however gets the point across. I have been interested in Shamanism and appreciate the description and experiences of the author. I would recommend this book to survivors of any type of abuse. Also to non-believers that deny the existence of the corruption going on in our country. I thank David Shurter for sharing his story.
September 4, 2017
Wow, speechless. There's the camp that thinks this is a true tale of the cover-up of the 80's and those that think there is no way this could happen. I know something had to have happened to David, the story that is told is just so horrific for some of it not to have happened. (trigger warning- this book has a lot of abuse and if that is troublesome for you, I'd skip this book) Even if the abuse isn't always explicit there's enough knowledge to infer what happened. There are some editing problems that make the book seem run on, but it's still one of those memoirs that will stick with you and be glad that there are good people in the world too. Thanks to netgalley for the review copy.
November 12, 2018
I remember being in junior high at the height of the "whole satanic panic" scare that seem to dominate the late 1980's. Having learned about the Franklin Cover-up, I realize the Satanic Panic was really a cover and trying to hint at sinister goings-on being committed by what I really think should just be referred to as pedophile rings so people will give Shurter's and other victim's plights more merit. Because I do believe there are depraved groups/families, cults, and sects that misuse religious practices as a means to assert power over others and or satisfy their depraved intentions. I believe Shurter's story to an extent, and I hope he's ultimately vindicated.
February 1, 2017
Phenomenal!
Yet another writing confirming what I believe is taking place right under our very noses...addressed so many things that I have been discovering over the last decade since becoming totally disgusted with these wealthy and powerful perverts that do not ever receive the justice they are so deserving of. Although I was fortunate to have not experienced this horrific abuse, I know it is real and commend you on speaking up..I'm anxious to checkout your website..you are an inspiration!
Yet another writing confirming what I believe is taking place right under our very noses...addressed so many things that I have been discovering over the last decade since becoming totally disgusted with these wealthy and powerful perverts that do not ever receive the justice they are so deserving of. Although I was fortunate to have not experienced this horrific abuse, I know it is real and commend you on speaking up..I'm anxious to checkout your website..you are an inspiration!
August 6, 2017
Hard subject matter, but one that we should know more about. Ritual abuse. What is it, why do people partake in it? This book will answer those questions and more. The writing is honest and at times hard to digest. Threats, brainwashing, belittlement, it is all a part of this story. I give the author much credit, I do not know how he was able to survive this.I comment Mr Shurter for writing this book and bringing awareness to the evil that is part of our world. Good Luck to you. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.
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February 22, 2018Many Accusations, Many Questions Remain
While if the story is true, no one ought to suffer what the author alleges. I also have grown weary of individuals not taking responsibility to learn what Christianity truly is. Accepting as truth another person's explanation is an excuse used by those unwilling or unable to deal honestly with their self-made reality.. Quite sensational, I am sure many will not be able to put the book down.
While if the story is true, no one ought to suffer what the author alleges. I also have grown weary of individuals not taking responsibility to learn what Christianity truly is. Accepting as truth another person's explanation is an excuse used by those unwilling or unable to deal honestly with their self-made reality.. Quite sensational, I am sure many will not be able to put the book down.
January 29, 2013
fantasic book, well written and got my really interested in the Franklin scandal too.
No just about satanic ritual abuse, but about society and those in power opening having access to very young children and the many who turn a blind eye to it.
No just about satanic ritual abuse, but about society and those in power opening having access to very young children and the many who turn a blind eye to it.
July 1, 2013
I didn't believe a word of this book.
September 22, 2016
Informative and ritualistic.
December 15, 2016
Honestly, Kinda boring. I was expecting more juicy stories about his life.. and got stuck with preaching about god.
March 23, 2018
This book is very full details nightmare like, i went through a period of depression reading this book.
Poor children who had to face all this alone :-(
Poor children who had to face all this alone :-(
July 16, 2018
Terrifying story told well. David is a good writer and took care to have it carefully edited and organized. What he went through was just horrifying, and the book is important.
June 29, 2019
Research the Boystown Franklin cover up and it will shock but might interest you. Not surprising it was held out of world news because of the VIP politicians named
September 5, 2017
This is a very difficult book to review and to be honest it has nothing to do with the subject matter. The book hinges on the plausibility of the piece and whether or not one believes the story within the pages. This creates a blind faith leap into this world and bewilders the reader into one of two camps: the believer or the non believer.
The book meanders from point to point and often jarring the reader out of the main narrative through his use of “newspaper articles” typed out but not printed copied and typed source material and at times, abbreviated to drum the message home. There is also the ramblings within the pages that sometimes contradict itself and often times lacks the emotional depth beyond the overused word count. There are also some plausibility factors to tie into the novel that at times are not consistent to the overall piece.
Keeping all this in mind, the book is self-published and this maybe the down fall. If the book was professionally published it may have sorted out some of the problems with the book such as using actual clippings, the ranting e-mails at the end and a better layout of source material to differentiate the general message found within. If a professional editor was used, the message would be less muddled and more focussed to the main point of the book.
When looking between the lines, there is also a lack of pathos and responsibility found within the narrative that at times, seems to focus away from the trauma of the author and instead lends focus on a possible exaggeration of the situation. This has a JT LeRoy feeling about it where you want to believe in it all but there is somethings that go a bit too far to make it believable. It lends itself to fabrication.
I think I should point out that I do believe that author is a product of sexual and emotional abuse. There may have been a satanic element behind this but this again is where the story gets a bit fuzzy. He on one hand abhors paedophilia but when two grown men offer their home to three underage bed (whether something happened or not – still unclear); have put themselves in a situation in a city that is rife with paedophilia (writer’s own words), then gets caught and sent to jail. We have the writer using words as set up and validating their injustice. It often makes the readers roll their eyes.
I do believe there is a good actual nonfiction book found with the pages and I do think there are very truthful aspects to the story. I also believe that with a good publisher and editor, there would have been a bit more truth and less exaggeration within the pages. I am happy to hear that the author has sorted his life and able to get his life back on track after his ordeal. I also believe that he has made himself an advocate on the subject that he is writing about which is a good thing. There also seems to be a bit of controversy about the author himself but we are living in the world of the internet and talk is relatively cheap.
Finally, overall it is an interesting book and there is a good vs evil premise found. At times, it is overwrought and over detailed and other times there is a lack of detail. The book is an interesting read just not a fulfilling read.
The book meanders from point to point and often jarring the reader out of the main narrative through his use of “newspaper articles” typed out but not printed copied and typed source material and at times, abbreviated to drum the message home. There is also the ramblings within the pages that sometimes contradict itself and often times lacks the emotional depth beyond the overused word count. There are also some plausibility factors to tie into the novel that at times are not consistent to the overall piece.
Keeping all this in mind, the book is self-published and this maybe the down fall. If the book was professionally published it may have sorted out some of the problems with the book such as using actual clippings, the ranting e-mails at the end and a better layout of source material to differentiate the general message found within. If a professional editor was used, the message would be less muddled and more focussed to the main point of the book.
When looking between the lines, there is also a lack of pathos and responsibility found within the narrative that at times, seems to focus away from the trauma of the author and instead lends focus on a possible exaggeration of the situation. This has a JT LeRoy feeling about it where you want to believe in it all but there is somethings that go a bit too far to make it believable. It lends itself to fabrication.
I think I should point out that I do believe that author is a product of sexual and emotional abuse. There may have been a satanic element behind this but this again is where the story gets a bit fuzzy. He on one hand abhors paedophilia but when two grown men offer their home to three underage bed (whether something happened or not – still unclear); have put themselves in a situation in a city that is rife with paedophilia (writer’s own words), then gets caught and sent to jail. We have the writer using words as set up and validating their injustice. It often makes the readers roll their eyes.
I do believe there is a good actual nonfiction book found with the pages and I do think there are very truthful aspects to the story. I also believe that with a good publisher and editor, there would have been a bit more truth and less exaggeration within the pages. I am happy to hear that the author has sorted his life and able to get his life back on track after his ordeal. I also believe that he has made himself an advocate on the subject that he is writing about which is a good thing. There also seems to be a bit of controversy about the author himself but we are living in the world of the internet and talk is relatively cheap.
Finally, overall it is an interesting book and there is a good vs evil premise found. At times, it is overwrought and over detailed and other times there is a lack of detail. The book is an interesting read just not a fulfilling read.
June 1, 2021
While interesting, much of the book teeters between paranoid delusions and what I would call "spiritual narcissism" . I have no doubt that the author was abused as a child and possibly even forced to commit murder by his horrible parents. The trauma affected him so deeply that he latched onto Shamanism as another form of spiritualism where he is driven into confronting a demon he believes supposedly inhabited his own father. He spends much of the book attempting to uncover a massive child abuse conspiracy linking Project MKUltra, President Bush Sr. and the whole republic party, Riot Control Microwave beams, and Satanism. Anyone who he considers to be disbelievers in this conspiracy are in cahoots with his childhood abusers. Eventually his constant dwelling on his past leads him to a psychotic break and massive depression. Unsurprisingly, entering a mental health facility and getting on medication helped. Unless you're willing to listen to someone with mental health problems drone on about Astral projection, reading people's minds, and unironically referring to himself as a 'light bearer' (Lucifer means light bearer. For someone who has been trying to escape the idea that he's the antichrist his whole life, this is a strange monicker to refer to yourself) , then I would not recommend this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 28, 2020I'm sorry, David. I was one of your best friends through this time when you claimed to be subject to this abuse. You never mentioned a word of it to me. I do remember your mother having a horrible alcohol addiction and your father abandoning the two of you for his new family. I also remember that you learned how to game the system to your advantage. You learned how to apply for every government benefit available to you, move into a very nice house with your boyfriend and mom and collect every government benefit you could get your hands on, while your boyfriend had a full-time job and you started working out and stripping for cash.
I, on the other hand, have worked two full time jobs for most of my life to support myself. You learned about the Franklin Credit abuse scandal from me and it had nothing to do with you. I was much more closely associated with that whole thing than you ever were and you were never a victim; you've simply played one for your entire life.
By the way, thanks for sending my cats to the pound when I had to move and you were tired of dealing with them. Thank God I had someone to rescue them before they were put down. Try to grow beyond constantly being the victim because you never were.
I, on the other hand, have worked two full time jobs for most of my life to support myself. You learned about the Franklin Credit abuse scandal from me and it had nothing to do with you. I was much more closely associated with that whole thing than you ever were and you were never a victim; you've simply played one for your entire life.
By the way, thanks for sending my cats to the pound when I had to move and you were tired of dealing with them. Thank God I had someone to rescue them before they were put down. Try to grow beyond constantly being the victim because you never were.
September 4, 2017
Judging by the synopsis, I thought I was going to really enjoy this one but I was a little disappointed with the outcome.
The subject matter was incredibly interesting but the writing was so jumbled and all over the place that it was off-putting. Also if you’re going to be open and tackle putting a disturbing upbringing like this into words, i’d have expected something along the lines of evidence for the accusations but because there’s nothing like that in here, it just reads a bit like uninspired fiction.
That’s not to say that I doubt the story he’s telling, I do believe he must have had a very troubled childhood but for it to be on the scale that is implied here, i’d have liked for something to back the claims up, for something that would shut up naysayers it feels a bit unfinished for me because of that.
The stories he tells about his childhood are very troubling and hard to read at times. It’s amazing that after the sheer volume of physical and psychological torment that he endured, that he turned out to be such a well-rounded adult.
I think whether you take his word at face value or whether you’re a cynic, it’s still a worthy topic to read about it.
The subject matter was incredibly interesting but the writing was so jumbled and all over the place that it was off-putting. Also if you’re going to be open and tackle putting a disturbing upbringing like this into words, i’d have expected something along the lines of evidence for the accusations but because there’s nothing like that in here, it just reads a bit like uninspired fiction.
That’s not to say that I doubt the story he’s telling, I do believe he must have had a very troubled childhood but for it to be on the scale that is implied here, i’d have liked for something to back the claims up, for something that would shut up naysayers it feels a bit unfinished for me because of that.
The stories he tells about his childhood are very troubling and hard to read at times. It’s amazing that after the sheer volume of physical and psychological torment that he endured, that he turned out to be such a well-rounded adult.
I think whether you take his word at face value or whether you’re a cynic, it’s still a worthy topic to read about it.
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