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About The Book

From the age of three Jonathan Self had only one ambition: not to be like his father. Despite his determination to be a better man -- and a better parent than his own had been -- Jonathan was a twice-divorced father of three and, at age thirty-five, spiraling. Self Abuse is the story of Jonathan's efforts to break free from the cycle of despair and dysfunction that characterized his youth. A brilliantly rendered, unapologetic memoir about the pain and joy of parenthood, Jonathan's story is as heartbreaking, redemptive, and unforgettable as it is true.

About The Author

Jonathan Self acts as a Special Adviser to the World Land Trust, an environmental charity. He divides his time between Australia and the United States. This is his first book.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Washington Square Press (June 15, 2010)
  • Length: 256 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781451604467

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Raves and Reviews

"This life is funny, appalling, and dark."
-- Stephen Blanchard, Time Out (London)

"An honest heartbreaker of a book that should be compulsory reading for anyone who brings a child into the world."
-- Tony Parsons

"Jonathan Self's compulsive, beautifully written memoir [is] all the more powerful for its sparse, bleak honesty...once you start reading you cannot stop."
-- The London Times

"...violently funny. A treat for those who think their folks were a handful."
-- Bruce Jay Friedman, author of Even the Rhinos Were Nymphos

"A harrowing, hilarious, headlong book. Mr. Self writes at all times as if he were launching himself off a cliff. By ruthlessly exposing his own failings he paints a wrenching and unforgettable picture of the terrible predicaments all modern fathers face."
-- Tony Hendra, author of Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul

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