…And Then I Would Fly

As a child in the 1980s, Damien lived an idyllic life as the only son to two highly creative parents. He idolized his larger-than-life father, the unemployed musician. His mother, the artist, painted the neighbor children’s portraits and sometimes worked two jobs to pay the mortgage and put food on the table. When Damien’s mother asked for a divorce, his father initiated a long journey of vengeance with Damien at the center, weaponizing the boy against his own mother and exposing him to drugs, dysfunction and violence. Suddenly, nothing was sacred. Eventually, he brought a new eighteen-year-old girlfriend home, who gave birth to Damien’s little sister, Lily. Now living in squalor, Damien struggled to emerge with Lily from their dysfunctional father’s grasp. A heartbreaking and lovable memoir masterfully told over several decades, it is a moving story of an optimistic spirit seeking to thrive against any odds, even when in danger from the people he loves the most.