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The Tricky Part: A boy's story of sexual trespass, a man's journey to forgiveness

by Martin Moran

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15311179,155 (3.95)1
"Between the ages of twelve and fifteen, Martin Moran had a sexual relationship with an older man, a counselor he'd met at a Catholic boys' camp. Almost thirty years later, at the age of forty-two, he set out to find and face his abuser. The Tricky Part tells the story of this relationship and its complex effect on the man Moran became. He grew up in an exemplary Irish Catholic family-his great aunt was a cloistered nun; his father, a newspaper reporter. They might have lived in the Denver neighborhood of Virginia Vale, but they belonged to Christ the King, the church and school up the hill. And the lessons Martin absorbed, as a good Catholic boy, were filled with the fraught mysteries of the spirit and the flesh. Into that world came Bob-a Vietnam vet carving a ranch-camp out of the mountain wilderness, showing the boys under his care how to milk cows, mend barbed wire fence, and raft rivers. He drove a six-wheeled International Harvester truck; he could read the stars like a map. He also noticed a young boy who seemed a little unsure of himself, and he introduced that boy to the secret at the center of bodies. Told with startling candor and disarming humor, The Tricky Part carries us to the heart of a paradox-that what we think of as damage may be the very thing that gives rise to transformation, even grace"--… (more)
  1. 00
    Half the House by Richard Hoffman (idontno)
    idontno: Memoirs by men who were sexually abused as children by non-family members, one gay, one straight.
  2. 00
    In My Father's Arms: A True Story of Incest by Walter A. De Milly III (idontno)
    idontno: Memoirs by gay men who were sexually abused as children, one incestuously, the other not.
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Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all)
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
An unpleasant topic written about beautifully. I completely understood his struggle to accept it as a molestation and not something that he was able to give consent for. He was too young to have consent to give. I think that is one of the most intriguing parts of the book. His coming to understand that this was really a big deal and not insignificant and may have affected his self esteem and life overall was inspiring. I didn't pick this book up for a while after I received it. I thought it might be painful or maybe too ugly and upsetting to read about. Truth is, it was not a hard book to read. A coming to acceptance story that any adult who was raped as a child should read. ( )
  bookwormteri | Sep 1, 2016 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
A thought provoking and engrossing story about a man coming to terms with the sexual abuse he endured as a child. ( )
  Rena_Pendergrass | Aug 4, 2016 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I will admit that it took me awhile to get through this book. This had everything to do with the difficult subject and nothing to do with the writing or story. In fact, both of these were quite good. However, I found it all too possible to understand the perspective of Mr. Moran; he is damaged by the sexual relationship that he had as a young boy and feels guilty because the sex was enjoyable. A sure lesson that even things that feel good can be incredibly bad for you. A touching coming to terms. ( )
  dmerrell | Jul 24, 2016 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Martin Moran writes of his 3 year sexual abuse from a camp counselor beginning when he was only 12 years old. This memoir is his attempt to understand why he felt guilty at what happened to him, and to learn that the real blame was with Bob, the camp counselor who took advantage of a young, needy, unformed boy. Moran's homosexuality makes it especially hard for him to believe the early traumatic events were the cause of his difficulties as an adult, but through counseling and finally confronting Bob, he begins to understand how his childhood has shaped his life. ( )
  dallenbaugh | Jun 17, 2016 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
"The Tricky Part" is a very well written true story of a man's coming to terms with sexual abuse that happened between the ages of 12 and 15.

This memoir is very well written, at times heartbreaking, and at times highly humorous, as Martin navigates his life from Catholic childhood to adulthood as a gay man, and dealing with the deep effects that the abuse from a trusted camp counsellor had on him. Throughout his life, he kept telling himself he was fine, as tensions and feelings bubbled beneath the surface.

When he has a breakthrough and finally visits his abuser, Martin is able to come to terms with it all and finally move forward with his beloved partner and keep his past in the past.

I was deeply affected by his writings, and his brutal honesty in describing not only the circumstances of his abuse, but the pain, guilt and suffering he endured simply because, as a child, he was too young to be able to protest, and to understand sexual manipulation.

This was a well written, engrossing book that I have won from the Early Reviewers Group of Library Thing. ( )
  chrisac | Jun 4, 2016 |
Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all)
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"Between the ages of twelve and fifteen, Martin Moran had a sexual relationship with an older man, a counselor he'd met at a Catholic boys' camp. Almost thirty years later, at the age of forty-two, he set out to find and face his abuser. The Tricky Part tells the story of this relationship and its complex effect on the man Moran became. He grew up in an exemplary Irish Catholic family-his great aunt was a cloistered nun; his father, a newspaper reporter. They might have lived in the Denver neighborhood of Virginia Vale, but they belonged to Christ the King, the church and school up the hill. And the lessons Martin absorbed, as a good Catholic boy, were filled with the fraught mysteries of the spirit and the flesh. Into that world came Bob-a Vietnam vet carving a ranch-camp out of the mountain wilderness, showing the boys under his care how to milk cows, mend barbed wire fence, and raft rivers. He drove a six-wheeled International Harvester truck; he could read the stars like a map. He also noticed a young boy who seemed a little unsure of himself, and he introduced that boy to the secret at the center of bodies. Told with startling candor and disarming humor, The Tricky Part carries us to the heart of a paradox-that what we think of as damage may be the very thing that gives rise to transformation, even grace"--

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Martin Moran's book The Tricky Part: A Boy's Story of Sexual Trespass, a Man's Journey to Forgiveness was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

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