Unknown to Me: True Story

THIS BOOK IS FACTUAL AND NOT DRAMATISED BUT BASED ON TRUE EVENTS, BOTH GOOD AND BAD. PEOPLE'S NAMES ARE CHANGED TO PROTECT THEIR IDENTITIES. I HAVE USED MY NAME, DAVID ROWAN

I decided to tell my story of the sexual abuse I suffered from when I was six years old until I was ten years old and its aftermath into adulthood.

At age ten, I believed it was over. Until 18 months later, the mental abuse intensified and followed me into my second year in high school. Photos of my naked body were passed around in front of me in the school assembly hall with my name on the rear but with my face cut out so as not to incriminate himself.

I had felt as though I had managed to keep my head just above water to function daily, despite the sexual abuse. Still, that day in the school assembly hall, I felt submerged and helpless, and it seemed the only escape was suicide because this seemed to ease my mind for a while until the reality of what I had witnessed some years earlier stopped those thoughts.

The memories remain vivid, and the details of the sexual abuse are relevant to give an accurate account and the effects of it.

Writing this book has been challenging, as some things are hard to re-live. It has taken me over eight years as I would start, stop-start, etc.

I feel there should be more awareness of what sexual and mental abuse looks like, plus the emotional effects of it into adulthood. After reading this book, I hope that some parents, grandparents, school teachers, etc., will be better equipped to identify the early warning signs of a paedophile in their midst.

I hope and pray it also sheds light on hidden things.

Unknown to me is from my birth until age 25. My second book, The Road to Success, continues from where this book finishes.

Best wishes
David.