Beamish Boy (I am not my story): A Memoir of Recovery and Awakening [Paperback]

Albert Desilver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2012 | ISBN-10: 0966943090 | ISBN-13: 978-0966943092

Literary Nonfiction. Memoir. "I was raised in a clock tower with bats in the belfry." So begins, BEAMISH BOY, the harrowing account of Albert Flynn DeSilver's inspirational journey from suicidal alcoholic to Poet Laureate and beyond. Filled with a luminous cast of characters, and told with searing honesty and ironic wit, BEAMISH BOY is a redemptive story of survival and letting go, as we follow Albert from one zany adventure and near-death experience to the next. He is run over by his best friend after blacking out in a driveway, contracts malaria in east Africa, and joins a psychedelic "therapy"cult, until he miraculously finds himself, through photography, poetry, and a hilarious awakening at a meditation retreat center, realizing finally, what it means to be fully alive and to truly love.

"A beautifully written memoir...poignant and inspirational, comical and terrifying!"—Kirkus

"...a fascinating, poetic memoir..."—ForeWord Reviews

"Albert Flynn DeSilver's extraordinary story of second chances is about cultivating a creative life of joy and generosity out of the ashes of fear, doubt, and trauma."—Marci Shimoff

"Sometimes we have to go to the darkest depths before we see the light. BEAMISH BOY is the inspiring true story that shows a journey of pain and self-destruction can lead to discovering that the peace and joy we yearned for, is in us all along."—James Baraz

Editorial Reviews

Review

. . .A beautifully written memoir. . .poignant and inspirational, comical
and terrifying!

Kirkus

. . .a fascinating, poetic memoir. . .

ForeWord Reviews

DeSilver's seesawing journey from drug and alcohol addiction, filled with
epiphanies and backsliding, clarity and bewilderment, will keep readers
committed to his story. . .

Publishers Weekly

. . .lyrical writing powerfully delivered. . .full of adventure, truth,
pain, humor, as well as colorful characters. . .a page-turner that will
delight anyone who appreciates a good story.

TheRumpus.net (Rebecca Faust)

I picked up a copy of Beamish Boy began reading it the next day. I cannot
put it down. I wish it were shower proof so even standing under the full
pounding water I could continue reading. It is that good. That compelling.
It is harsh while at the same time poetic. It breaks your heart one moment
and then sends your spirit soaring the next. It is one of the rare books
that when finished I believe I will feel I am a better person for having
read it. And, it has made me laugh out loud.


Claudia Sternbach
Editor in Chief, Memoir Journal


Albert Flynn DeSilver¹s extraordinary story of second chances is about
cultivating a creative life of joy and generosity out of the ashes of fear,
doubt, and trauma.

Marci Shimoff, New York Times bestselling author, Love for No Reason and
Happy for No Reason

"Sometimes we have to go to the darkest depths before we see the light.
"Beamish Boy" is the inspiring true story that shows a journey of pain and
self-destruction can lead to discovering that the peace and joy we yearned
for, is in us all along."

James Baraz, co-author of "Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You On The
Road To Real Happiness", co-founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center.

A compelling story of a boy's climb out of pain and into poetry

Adair Lara, San Francisco Chronicle former columnist and author of Naked,
Drunk, & Writing

About the Author

Albert Flynn DeSilver is an internationally published poet, author, artist, teacher, speaker, and writing coach. He served as the first Poet Laureate of Marin County, California from 2008-2010. Albert is the author of BEAMISH BOY: A MEMOIR, and several books of poetry including LETTERS TO EARLY STREET, and WALKING TOOTH & CLOUD, and his work has appeared in dozens of literary journals and anthologies worldwide. He presents at literary conferences nationally, directs a homecare agency, and teaches in the Teen and Family program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center near his home in Woodacre, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 262 pages
• Publisher: The Owl Press (June 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966943090
• ISBN-13: 978-0966943092
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #485,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars From Darkness to Light--the Journey of a Poet July 19, 2012

By Linda Joy Myers

Format:Paperback

"I grew up in a clock tower with bats in the belfry." This intriguing first line in the luminous memoir Beamish Boy by Albert DeSilver invites us into his chaotic childhood where there are literal bats, but the metaphor works too--foreshadowing a bumper car ride through Albert's young life. His parents are eccentric, colorful, and clueless, yet we come to like them despite their inability to know what was going on with their son--including serious abuse by a caretaker, Heddy, whose monstrous psychological and physical abuse helped to create a mental state that would be repeated later in his life until he climbs toward the light and throws off the bonds of his drug and alcohol abuse. This is a book about the inner journey to seek answers and find a life amid psychological rubble. He finds a path to transformation through art, photography and poetry, then meditation frees him further to bear to face the darkness in his soul. He sees the real Truth of the world, and learns to become whole, he learns about love, and how to live a life of creativity and compassion.
The thing about a memoir written by a poet is how delightful it is to read beautifully written passages, metaphors that zing, scenes that transport the reader fully into the world of the narrator, as much as words can do that.
Albert's work makes us want to connect with his poetry, art, and visions of "reality" that are more real than any drug trip. Read this book to open the lens of understanding in your own life. Read this book to see how one can find one's way from darkness to light.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beamish Albert October 10, 2012

By Gary Kleiman

Format:Paperback

Having owned a bookstore for 10 years, I have probably read the first section of thousands of books. Few have grabbed my attention as quickly as Beamish Boy. Albert DeSilver is no doubt a poet. But more than that, he is the voice of one of us, walking the streets of life, sometimes knocked down, other times victorious. It is refreshing to be drawn into the life of one who is able to convey what their experience is, without it sounding distant or pompous. It is an enjoyable journey to travel with Mr. DeSilver.

5.0 out of 5 stars An honest and witty story of the search for meaning May 6, 2013

By Karen Lynch

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is one of the most honest memoirs I've read. It takes a brave writer to allow his narrator to be at times dislikable, and when the narrator is in fact the author, it takes even greater courage. The reader ambles along with the narrator's amusing and tragic misadventures for quite a while, all the time hoping he will find his way to some sort of spiritual peace. Even when the reader finds herself judging Al's crazy choices and wondering wtf he's doing, she wants him to succeed and to end up okay. This is a page turner.