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Destiny Control
Destiny Control is a memoir. It recounts the history of his life from age 2 to 82. Born into a dysfunctional family with a mentally unstable mother and an absentee alcoholic father. The author was homeless in Brooklyn at age six, sleeping in churches and stealing food to survive. From 1944 to 1952 he sells newspapers and shines shoes in Brooklyn to provide for food and pay the $17 monthly rent. In 1952, his mother sits the author and his sister at the kitchen table and calmly tells them "I love you, but I am going to kill you now...don't worry, you are good children and you will go straight to Heaven". With butcher knife in hand, she chases the author and his sister 11 long blocks thru Brooklyn right into the 94 Police Precinct where she attacks the officer at the desk. Mrs. Garrahan is taken to Bellevue Hospital. She is confined to Brooklyn State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for 9 years. The author graduates from high school, and studies at seven universities, receiving a Master's degree from Lehigh University and a Doctoral degree from Columbia University. He conducts research on addiction and publishes numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, as well as four books. Dr. Garrahan has been honored twice in Rose Garden ceremonies at the White House. He is the recipient of several awards and honors. His memoir is the history of a life from 'rags to riches'.
220 pages, Paperback
Published December 2, 2020
About the author
David Garrahan
5 booksBorn into a dysfunctional family with a mentally unstable mother and alcoholic father, Garrahan was homeless at age six-sleeping in churches in Brooklyn and stealing from the "poor boxes" to buy food. After his mother attempted to kill him, she was confined to Brooklyn State Hospital for nine years.
Happenstance brought him to the Larchmont Yacht Club where he was hired as an ice boy. He was assigned a bed in the "monkey house", and took his meals in the workers' kitchen.
The Club's manager, Robert F. Carney, appreciated his work and ability to interact with club members, and urged him to apply for admission to college. Following the advice, he earned credits at seven colleges, including a masters degree from Lehigh University and a doctorate from Columbia University.
He has authored numerous journal articles as well as five books.
Happenstance brought him to the Larchmont Yacht Club where he was hired as an ice boy. He was assigned a bed in the "monkey house", and took his meals in the workers' kitchen.
The Club's manager, Robert F. Carney, appreciated his work and ability to interact with club members, and urged him to apply for admission to college. Following the advice, he earned credits at seven colleges, including a masters degree from Lehigh University and a doctorate from Columbia University.
He has authored numerous journal articles as well as five books.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 5, 2021
Revelatory and greatly inspiring, the former university professor, the Director of Pupil Personnel Services and District Superintendent of Schools, and veteran author, Garrahan chronicles his journey from a young boy born into a poverty-ridden, dysfunctional family unit to a wealthy, renowned educator.
Born to a mentally unstable mother and an absentee alcoholic father, Garrahan spent the initial years of his childhood stealing food and working as a shoe polisher. After his mother’s mental breakdown, Garrahan found himself separated from his siblings and deposited in relatives’ care. But once he graduated from high-school, he lost that last home as well and was once again on his own. Back in New York, Garrahan found work at a yacht club and continued his education, securing master’s and doctoral degrees and went on to have an outstanding career as a university professor and the Director of Pupil Personnel Services and District Superintendent of Schools.
Garrahan candidly details his parents’ struggles with mental illness and alcoholism, the siblings’ pain and trauma, his own roguish ways, the rage, and the loneliness. At the same time, he uncovers rewards of resilience and hard work. Garrahan’s account proves how compelling personal stories can be.
This is a remarkable and heart-rending memoir that digs into the traumas of growing in a destitute, dysfunctional family.
Readers seeking an inspiring tale of hardships and perseverance will be greatly rewarded.
Born to a mentally unstable mother and an absentee alcoholic father, Garrahan spent the initial years of his childhood stealing food and working as a shoe polisher. After his mother’s mental breakdown, Garrahan found himself separated from his siblings and deposited in relatives’ care. But once he graduated from high-school, he lost that last home as well and was once again on his own. Back in New York, Garrahan found work at a yacht club and continued his education, securing master’s and doctoral degrees and went on to have an outstanding career as a university professor and the Director of Pupil Personnel Services and District Superintendent of Schools.
Garrahan candidly details his parents’ struggles with mental illness and alcoholism, the siblings’ pain and trauma, his own roguish ways, the rage, and the loneliness. At the same time, he uncovers rewards of resilience and hard work. Garrahan’s account proves how compelling personal stories can be.
This is a remarkable and heart-rending memoir that digs into the traumas of growing in a destitute, dysfunctional family.
Readers seeking an inspiring tale of hardships and perseverance will be greatly rewarded.
March 5, 2021
Garrahan, the former university professor, the Director of Pupil Personnel Services and District Superintendent of Schools, and author of several books, narrates his journey of rags-to-riches in this deeply poignant memoir, an exploration of dysfunctional family units, poverty, grief, and perseverance.
Born to a mentally unstable mother and absentee alcoholic father, Garrahan had his first brush with homelessness at age six. Garrahan and his siblings realized they have to support themselves if they want to survive. Eating out of trash cans placed behind restaurants and stealing food from vendors became new normal for the children. The brothers even had quite a long stint as “shine boys” at railway platforms, city streets, and pubs as they struggled to earn an honest living.
Their lives turned upside down after their mentally fragile mother succumbed to severe mental breakdown, owing to their father’s alcoholism and consistent philandering and tried to kill the children. The maniac episode sent her to a mental asylum for criminally insane for nine years and separated the children, with each of them placed with relatives. Garrahan spent five years staying at his uncle’s farm, but had to leave it right after his high-school graduation.
Back in New York, Garrahan began to work at a local yacht club while continuing his studies and graduated from college as a math and science teacher. Eventually, he acquired a Master’s degree from Lehigh University and a doctorate in psychology at Columbia University. And thus, began his remarkable career as a university professor at the Graduate Faculty of Columbia University and Frostburg State University.
He also served as the Director of Pupil Personnel Services and District Superintendent of Schools where he took it upon himself to clean the corrupted school system. His troubled background (his history as a rogue child and a teenager) made him the target of privileged parents and colleagues, but he stayed true to his role as the spirited, unwavering champion for the downtrodden.
Garrahan’s prose is assured, narrative fluid, and storytelling entertaining. A heap of family photographs complements the ongoing story while old letters and pictures of newspaper articles add to the authenticity. Fluidly written and brilliantly conceived, this is not only the celebration of courage, hard work, and resilience but also a deep exploration of family bonds, abandonment, forgiveness, and perseverance.
Beautifully written with candor and skill, this memoir of one man’s rags-to-riches story is both compulsively entertaining and tremendously provocative.
Born to a mentally unstable mother and absentee alcoholic father, Garrahan had his first brush with homelessness at age six. Garrahan and his siblings realized they have to support themselves if they want to survive. Eating out of trash cans placed behind restaurants and stealing food from vendors became new normal for the children. The brothers even had quite a long stint as “shine boys” at railway platforms, city streets, and pubs as they struggled to earn an honest living.
Their lives turned upside down after their mentally fragile mother succumbed to severe mental breakdown, owing to their father’s alcoholism and consistent philandering and tried to kill the children. The maniac episode sent her to a mental asylum for criminally insane for nine years and separated the children, with each of them placed with relatives. Garrahan spent five years staying at his uncle’s farm, but had to leave it right after his high-school graduation.
Back in New York, Garrahan began to work at a local yacht club while continuing his studies and graduated from college as a math and science teacher. Eventually, he acquired a Master’s degree from Lehigh University and a doctorate in psychology at Columbia University. And thus, began his remarkable career as a university professor at the Graduate Faculty of Columbia University and Frostburg State University.
He also served as the Director of Pupil Personnel Services and District Superintendent of Schools where he took it upon himself to clean the corrupted school system. His troubled background (his history as a rogue child and a teenager) made him the target of privileged parents and colleagues, but he stayed true to his role as the spirited, unwavering champion for the downtrodden.
Garrahan’s prose is assured, narrative fluid, and storytelling entertaining. A heap of family photographs complements the ongoing story while old letters and pictures of newspaper articles add to the authenticity. Fluidly written and brilliantly conceived, this is not only the celebration of courage, hard work, and resilience but also a deep exploration of family bonds, abandonment, forgiveness, and perseverance.
Beautifully written with candor and skill, this memoir of one man’s rags-to-riches story is both compulsively entertaining and tremendously provocative.
July 30, 2021
This is a memoir that the author felt he needed to write in order to "preserve a record of anguish and accomplishment" in his life. it's certainly a book that others should read to gain inspiration and to understand the power of two words, Destiny Control, and how the meaning of just those two words alone could impact their own lives.
From being a impoverished child in the 1940's, David Garrahan told of how he and a friend would fish for quarters through a subway storm grate using a string, Vaseline and a padlock. Two dollars was a big haul for two young boys in those days and they used their hard earned money to buy a baloney sandwich and a Coke for five cents each. There can be no greater poverty than to have soles separating from your shoes; so much so that you would put rubber bands around them so they wouldn't flap and cause kids at school to laugh at you. Despite the horrific conditions that were presented to him, this kid would not wither away; he worked hard at selling newspapers and he also became a shoe shine boy. The odds were also stacked against him at home. His father was abusive and his mother once told him and a sibling, “I love you, but I have to kill you..." However bleak his life was, David took control of his destiny and went on to numerous accomplishments in his life, which included positions in the highest tiers of education where he worked to help others understand poverty: "the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of the impoverished; spiked with empathy; and empowering the powerless from a locus of control perspective."
The author's life is certainly a very interesting one and my only wish is that he would have had the book professionally edited as he freely admits, he didn't, in the beginning of his book. There seemed to be a lot more telling than showing as he chronicled his childhood and this took away from what could have been a great presentation of his life. Being that I only gave this book a three star, I have to say, it only fell just short of a four star and if it had been professionally edited, I'm fairly certain it would have reached the top or close to it, in my view.
I applaud you, David Garrahan! You controlled your destiny and you should be proud of all that you've accomplished.
From being a impoverished child in the 1940's, David Garrahan told of how he and a friend would fish for quarters through a subway storm grate using a string, Vaseline and a padlock. Two dollars was a big haul for two young boys in those days and they used their hard earned money to buy a baloney sandwich and a Coke for five cents each. There can be no greater poverty than to have soles separating from your shoes; so much so that you would put rubber bands around them so they wouldn't flap and cause kids at school to laugh at you. Despite the horrific conditions that were presented to him, this kid would not wither away; he worked hard at selling newspapers and he also became a shoe shine boy. The odds were also stacked against him at home. His father was abusive and his mother once told him and a sibling, “I love you, but I have to kill you..." However bleak his life was, David took control of his destiny and went on to numerous accomplishments in his life, which included positions in the highest tiers of education where he worked to help others understand poverty: "the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of the impoverished; spiked with empathy; and empowering the powerless from a locus of control perspective."
The author's life is certainly a very interesting one and my only wish is that he would have had the book professionally edited as he freely admits, he didn't, in the beginning of his book. There seemed to be a lot more telling than showing as he chronicled his childhood and this took away from what could have been a great presentation of his life. Being that I only gave this book a three star, I have to say, it only fell just short of a four star and if it had been professionally edited, I'm fairly certain it would have reached the top or close to it, in my view.
I applaud you, David Garrahan! You controlled your destiny and you should be proud of all that you've accomplished.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews