Breaking Away

The second book I was so excited to dive into because it was a hockey book and as you all know I live for hockey. This was a book more about the survival of childhood abuse under the hands of Patrick O’Sullivan’s father who was a sadistic man who felt that he knew how to make his son not only better than Wayne Gretzky or Alex Ovechkin but that he knew more hockey than most individuals who played in the NHL. The book starts off very well and Patrick describes in detail his games and the abuse he takes after each minute spent on and off the ice. Again at first his descriptions were in great detail but as the book wore on and I do mean it wore on he lost himself in every practice and game. I understand setting a stage but he continued with each league, each practice, each game from the age of 10 to the end of his career in the NHL. Now mind you Patrick was a very talented hockey player who would have made it on his own just because he had the skills, knowledge and ability to play at the elite level but his father ruined him, his chances to go in the first round and as time went one Patrick himself. The best part of this book is more about teaching people to be aware of child abuse by teacher, coaches, parents or anyone who has contact with the person. It teaches you to not look the other way, that you should step in and ask questions. Patrick prayed for anyone to take notice of his falling asleep in classes, his lacklustre interest towards anything, and his inability to socialize with anyone at anytime. In this respect the book was very good in giving details of a madman gone crazy, a family that was in denial of anything happening and the loss of innocence.