Breaking Away
A Harrowing True Story of Resilience, Courage, and Triumph
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4.5 • 54 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In the tradition of Playing with Fire and The Crazy Game comes a new memoir about a troubled hockey life.
Patrick O'Sullivan was a kid with skills, with natural gifts that catapulted him into the spotlight and made NHL scouts rave. O’Sullivan seemed destined to become one of the next great hockey players in the world. But then it all went horribly wrong.
In Breaking Away, Patrick O’Sullivan gives readers a disturbing account of ten years of ever escalating physical abuse and emotional cruelty at the hands of his father. When Patrick proved more skilled than other eight-year-olds, John O’Sullivan decided to dedicate his life to turning his son into the player he had always dreamed of becoming. Shouting at the top of his lungs, John O’Sullivan was the over-involved parent. Many of Patrick’s teammates and their parents and coaches thought it ended there. Few had an idea of the dysfunction and violence at the O’Sullivans' home.
Breaking Away is a story about abuse, but it is also a story about triumph, as O'Sullivan revisits the ghosts of his past.
Customer Reviews
A Read For Every Sports Parent!
Tragic! Disturbing that people stood idly by while this abuse occurred. God Bless you Patrick. May the rest of your life be full of peace, love, & happiness.
Meh...
Interesting read about the abuse that took place but every single chapter on it? Extremely repetitive and not really much insight into actual pro hockey. Not terrible but not great either. To be honest, after the first couple chapters it's plain boring.
Breaking Away
Amazing well written book that kept me interested so that i could not put down. Patrick is a very brave sole and very smart to know he could get help to make a better life for his new family. I have so much respect for him knowing he had to do this himself and he is concerned about other children having to go through the same thing as he did. Helping Sports parents to do the right thing.