"You'll be taken with the energy and urgency of Loya's writing and, above all, with the sweetness and beauty of his discoveries."
--Frank McCourt, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angela's Ashes

"This is the most complete and unsparing portrait of a descent into wrongdoing and the painful climb back to civility that I've ever read."
--Mark Salzman, author of Lying Awake and Iron and Silk

"I will be retelling Joe Loya's story for years as a testament to the transformative power of writing. In his darkest moment, corrupted and blameful, he picked up a pen. The introspection required in filling up blank paper saved his soul in a way religion and family never could. His story will no doubt do the same for many readers."
--Po Bronson , author of What Should I Do With My Life

"Joe Loya made a lot of slick get-aways, but none as compelling as his escape from his own dark unravelings. To read this book is to witness the strangulation, mutation, and last-ditch salvation of a human soul, a soul so honest and brave and through it all endearing that you never -- as black as things become – stop rooting for it. I strongly recommend that you do some time with Joe Loya."
--Mary Roach, author of Stiff