FEATURED AUTHOR - MAY 2022

David Lewis is a retired, decorated Lieutenant-Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy. Having retired just before COVID came to visit, he was forced to stay home with limited options for personal productivity. Perhaps it was time for him to paint and to write. David writes about his life and many years of military service in both the US and Canada, Europe and Afghanistan. He also includes how flashbacks of childhood abuse at the hands of parish priests have influenced and infected his life and service. David is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, the General Campaign Star – South-West Asia, the Commander Canadian Army Commendation, and other decorations. He has been married to Sherrie, his wife of over 40 years. They have five children and one granddaughter.

Altared Boy takes us on a journey through much of the life of a sexually abused altar boy. It is a stark journey laid bare in a delicate and non-graphic manner. Through ongoing flashbacks, which sometimes detonate into his daily life with unfortunate consequences, LCdr Lewis guides us through his pilgrimage through an emotional minefield. His belief that, though you may never be free of the scars you hide, you by no means need to surrender to them guides his and the readers' voyage. A disturbing but eventually encouraging experience will leave the reader exhausted but exhilarated. A must-read for those who suffered abuse as young children. A tragic but ultimately heartening and restorative account.

The 'tickle game' progressed beyond tickles. He locked the doors to prevent our encounters from being interrupted or discovered. I had no avenue of retreat.  This time, however, as I entered the vestry to do my duty as an altar boy, I noticed that he had blocked out the little glass window in the door with brown paper. My heart began to beat faster. Even as a child, I recognized the signs that indicated an escalation. My stomach ached as only those trapped in an inescapable abyss could understand. My hopes rested on the expectation that it would be over quickly, not on the chance it wouldn't occur. 

Books worth inhaling.