The Troubles
A memoir
About the book
In 1976 I lived in Anchorage, Alaska and, as far as I knew, our family was pretty much like any other.
When my older brother cut school, I thought that was normal. When he'd bring girls home and lock the bedroom door, that was normal, too. So was the drinking, and the pot smoking. These were some of the things that made my big brother the coolest person in the world to me.
Then he got busted for stealing a case of beer, and even this didn't seem that serious. Little did I know just how much that final straw would affect my life from that point forward.
When my older brother cut school, I thought that was normal. When he'd bring girls home and lock the bedroom door, that was normal, too. So was the drinking, and the pot smoking. These were some of the things that made my big brother the coolest person in the world to me.
Then he got busted for stealing a case of beer, and even this didn't seem that serious. Little did I know just how much that final straw would affect my life from that point forward.
"Send me back to boarding school," is what my brother told my parents to do. And that's what they did, with me in tow. To keep me safe from whatever had led my big brother astray.
Did they really think it would solve anything?
I can look back now and put the experience into perspective.
Did they really think it would solve anything?
I can look back now and put the experience into perspective.
