Bruthas...where it all began!: J.L. Whitehead reviews "When Jonathan Cried for Me" by Carter Lee

I’ve read many books that have addressed the issue of child abuse. I’ve interviewed child abuse survivors at length. Each individual that has opened up to me shared similar stories of abuse at the hands of an adult; abuse that changed their lives forever.

As more and more people come forward to tell their stories, one has to wonder just how often abuse happens to our children in this country.

1.) We know that 1 out of 6 women in this country have been the victims of attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. 17.7 million American women have been the victims of attempted or completed rape. 9 out of 10 rape victims in 2003 were female. These are horrible statistics.

But what we are now finding out now is the statistics are for men. 2.) Researchers have found that 1 in 6 men have experienced abusive sexual experiences before the age of 18. Putting it another way, when you go on your lunch break tomorrow, look at the men on the street. Count the number of men that you see. Every sixth man has been a victim. Those odds may actually be a little bit higher because men are not as apt to talk about an abusive situation, and for good reason. Most men were brought up to be strong, caretakers, leaders and protectors. Our parents don’t tell us that at one point in time, we could be a victim. It’s a thought that no parent wants to contemplate; but the denial of this fact doesn’t change the reality that statistics don’t lie.

It’s for this very reason that When Jonathan Cried for Me by author Carter Lee is deemed a must read for any man that may have suffered at the hands of a pedophile. The author opens up and shares his issues and struggles as he fought to reclaim himself after suffering at the hands of an abusive neighbor. He does not dwell on the actual acts that have been inflicted on him, but instead focuses on the path that he has taken to redemption. He takes a no-nonsense approach; at most times speaking in his own dialect to get his point across. It’s an approach that works because with men, you have to cut through the protective layers of our own defenses that we’ve built up to get at the root of the problem. There are many men that are suffering today because someone took the liberty of claiming their innocence for personal pleasure. Carter Lee cuts through the technical jargon and talks about the where’s, what’s and whys of what has happened as well as what you can do about it now. He talks about his anger issues that have plagued him throughout his adult life, and yet he didn’t know why. Initially, he chalked it up to it being part of his make-up. It wasn’t until he confronted what had been done with him that he realized that his emotions were thrown out of whack with the very first touch of his neighbor, and it resonated throughout his life.

When Jonathan Cried for Me is a powerful read that will hopefully help many men come to grips with what has happened to them. And if this book helps just one person, then the time that the author spent in creating this work was worth it.

References:

1.) RAINN – Rape Abuse and Incest National Network http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/sexual-assault-victims

2.) One in Six - Info, Options, Hope http://1in6.org/the-1-in-6-statistic/

Author Carter Lee