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Outrunning the Past
Outrunning the Past: A Novel of Family Scars, Survival, and Redemption follows Pat Murphy, a kid desperate to break free from a rough home with an alcoholic dad, a mom who looks the other way, and expectations that leave little room to breathe. His parents lay it out plainly: go fight in Vietnam after high school, just like his dad, and stick it out as a soldier, or come home and take up sheet-metal work with his father. Not much of a choice, really.
But Pat does not stick to their script. He runs. He becomes a standout on the high school track team, earns a full-ride scholarship to a top college, and later builds a big life for himself, with a strong career, a good marriage, and a daughter who is smart, driven, and proud. That daughter has two kids, and Pat forms a close bond with both.
It almost feels like things have come full circle. Pat ends up coaching his grandson, who rises on the track, and lands a scholarship to an Ivy League school, and follows in his grandfather's footsteps. The disaster strikes. A serious bicycle accident leaves Pat with a traumatic brain injury. Suddenly he must relearn everything, how to talk, think, move, and even run.
This time, it is his grandson's turn to become the coach. He helps Pat fight his way back, mile by mile, until they are ready to return to running together, lining up side by side for the annual race, determined to cross. the finish line together.
Reader Reviews
"' Outrunning the Past' is an unforgettable journey that resonates long after the final page, offering both heartfelt reflection and hope to anyone striving to overcome their own struggles. With rich emotional depth and compelling storytelling, it powerfully illustrates how perseverance, love, and self-discovery can transform even the most painful past into a life of purpose and redemption." Wes Arnett, Madison, WI
"Tom artfully, poetically, profoundly, yet somehow subtly paints the indisputable necessity of our connection to family, community, hope, and love as the essential ingredient in how we get back up to heal after being knocked down & hurt. This 'Outrunning the Past' story is the stuff that reminds us of the power of others in helping to mend our broken parts, and the inspiration it provides us, as well as themselves." Joshua Bennett-Johnson, Boston, MA
Discover Your Adult Chiild
Discover Your Adult Child is a remarkable memoir depicting one man's courage, discipline, and resilience as he overcomes childhood trauma related to his father's alcoholism.Merging personal experience with meticulous research, author Tom O'Connor also shares practical knowledge and survival skills to help other adult children of alcoholics lead happier lives. His story offers validation, empathy, and hope for a peaceful and stable future.
Through a series of heartfelt and, at times, humorous narratives, O’Connor explores what it’s like to be the child of an alcoholic.
In the United States, there are over 20 million adult children of alcoholics. As a member of this group, author Tom O’Connor spent years grappling with the instability he endured being raised by an alcoholic father and an enabling mother. Reflecting on his experiences, O’Connor relates his story of resilience, compassion and forgiveness.
Reader Reviews
"Like Tom O'Connor, I was raised by an alcoholic father. I immediately identified with Tom's story. As he tells his journey of growing up in an alcoholic family, he breaks down the destructive impact of the alcoholic parent on the family. Discover Your Adult Child helped me better understand each family member's role in this dysfunctional family soup."
Doug Foderman, Massachusetts
"Most trauma doesn’t scream. It whispers in adulthood. But we’re often too busy surviving to stop and listen. How to reconnect with your childhood story in 1 book. I you grew up with an alcoholic parent, you may still be carrying the weight. The people-pleasing.The fear of conflict.The pressure to be perfect.The deep sadness you can't explain. It’s not just your past. It’s your nervous system. It’s the way you see the world. Tom O’Connor gets this because he lived it. In his book Discover Your Adult Child, he shares a lifetime of insight through both personal experience and a professional lens. But this isn't just another memoir. It’s a mirror and a guide."
Mohammed Ali Shahzad, Pakistan