No Momma's Boy: How I Let Go of My Past and Embraced the Future (Paperback)

~ Dominic Carter (Author)
Key Phrases: New York, Doininic Carter, Aunt Inez (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Tired of keeping his life-long secrets, author Dominic Carter, described by some as the best of New York’s political television reporters, shares his remarkable, gut-wrenching story of abuse at the hands of his mother in No Momma’s Boy.

Shortly after his mother’s death, Carter obtains her psychiatric records to learn more about the extent of her struggles. He always knew she was plagued by mental illness, but because of their limited relationship, he never truly understood its severity. In addition to revealing that she was a paranoid schizophrenic, the records contain shocking secrets from his past of which he has little or no recollection. Carter learns the revolting details of how his mother attempted to strangle him to death when he was just a toddler and her numerous suicide attempts. As he uncovers these horrific details, Carter awakens memories of unspeakable acts that he suffered at her hands.

From a childhood of sexual and physical abuse to a meaningful career attending social events at the White House and interviewing Nelson Mandela, No Momma’s Boy recounts Carter’s tremendous highs and lows and how he survived to become the successful journalist that he is today.

About the Author

Journalist Dominic Carter works for the biggest media conglomerate in the United States, Time Warner, NY1 News, and has interviewed some of the most influential politicians in the nation. Carter lives in a suburb of New York City and speaks to youth groups in his free time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595428398
• ISBN-13: 978-0595428397
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #404,359 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books of the Year, December 31, 2007

By	Mountain Owl "MKP" (Virginia) - See all my reviews

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has included this as one of the best books of 2007. It probably did't hurt that Dominic Carter--a colorful media celebrity--served as grand marsal for the NAMI New York City walkathon, but the book deserves the distinction in its own right.

It is an incredible book by a person who has lived an incredible life, and overcome odds that would defeat most people.

Carter is a character written in bold and an inspiration. He grew from a childhood of poverty in the Bronx to become one of New York City's best-known news anchors and political reporters, interviewing Nelson Mandela and President Clinton and sparring with former New York City mayor Rudy Guliani. (If Guliani does become president, let's hope that one of the national television networks assign Carter to the White House press room; it would be great theater to watch and a service to the nation).

Carter also lived with a secret of physical and sexual abuse as a child. After his mother died in 2001, he collected 620 pages of medical records and learned for the first time of her life-long struggle with paranoid schizophrenia. "I got hit with a double-barreled shotgun," he said in recent newspaper interviews. "As a child, I didn't know what was going on,"

His autobiography is therapeutic. "I've been running from the ghetto...I've been running from my mother, and I didn't want to run anymore."

In confronting the past, Carter comes to terms with his mother's mental illness and his own emotions. "My mother was not a demon, but she saw demons," Carter writes. "If a demon exists in this story, it is society's collective mistreatment and misunderstanding of mental illness."

"In spite of her tragic life, I celebrate my mother for this one thing," Carter concludes. "She was a survivor...I am proud of my mother for not giving up...You become a real winner in life when the winds of fate knock you down and you manage to get back up. Many people, rich or poor, cannot get back up, but my mother did."

"I am not ashamed to be called her son."

The book is self-published and candid. To his credit, Carter resisted suggestions by mainstream publishers to sensationalize his story, because the basic facts and description of his childhood are upsetting enough. It is a memoir marked by pain, but also, an enduring love. It details Carter's successful career, but the unifying theme throughout is one of family. Its candid disclosures are also an act of courage, not unlike Mike Wallace's disclosure of long history of depression, or that of actor Joe Pantaliano, whose 2003 autobiography similarly reflects his mother's mental illness.

Frankly, I'd love to see Dominic, Wallace and "Joey Pants" discuss their childhoods together sometime. They have much in common. They have much in common. They are larger than life characters, who love a good scrap and rarely censor themselves, except perhaps to usually hide the softer hearts of their nature.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love Dominic Carter!, June 16, 2007

By	Michael Santomauro "What sort of Truth is it ... (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

One the most heart wrenching books I ever read. I highly recommend it!
The author will be a national figure in a few years time. He is famous only in New York City. I love Dominic Carter!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Dominic Carter, Next NYC Mayor?"..(Hopefully), May 24, 2007

By	Victor Fredericksen "VTAHS'" (BROOKLYN, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was lucky enough to get a signed copy @ the NYC-NAMI walk,
Read it in 2 day's....Dominic Carter Is for Real!! Read this book.