David Patten certainly did just this in spades!  David's wonderful new book, "Dummy-a memoir" is the true story of tragedy turned into triumph. But it is much more than a success story, it's a story that speaks to the eternal light of the Soul & how it finds its way through an odyssey of darkness & despair back to wholeness & freedom. In the end this story/book is a testament to the power of love & grace & how they can be found in the most unexpected of circumstances. From young David's birth back in 1954, he was unbearable sensitive to the world around him. Overwhelmed with confusing & disorienting stimuli, he withdrew into an inner world. Unable to concentrate or learn the basics of reading & writing, David was punished & pathologized, labeled lazy, stupid, & a troublemaker. Sounds like my days down at Great Falls High School! Unlike me, David was finally diagnosed with dyslexia, among other elements in the Autism Spectrum. But at a time when these disorders were little understood, David was unable to get the help he needed, & he gradually fell into the dark underbelly of American life. David's struggle to survive & find a life worth living included time in a mental institution for attempted suicide at 14, 2 years in one of America's most dangerous inner city schools for troubled youth; life as a drug dealer in Chicago's criminal underworld; 9 months as a virtual prisoner in an abusive experimental psychiatric home; & 15 years in a spiritual community where he practiced meditation & inquired into the very nature & inherent limitations of identity itself. Flash forward to today...David is now the father of 2 wonderful grown children, & lives with his wife of almost 30 years in Hawaii. The book is "Dummy-a memoir" & is available from Joslyn Press. Check out the website: http://dummyamemoir.com. It's a riveting read!

More From KSEN AM 1150