I strongly recommend this book to others who have been abused so they may hopefully feel less alone, and can be a springboard for further healing. I also recommend this book to others who have not been abused so they will hopefully understand more of the life changing effects of abuse.
Maria

I cannot imagine how hard it was for Dan to write this book where he shares his private life of abuse, pain, and tormnent. I know Dan…his heart is as big as it gets and I know that he needed to write this book for himself and for others. It tells of his secret life of pain and torment….secret pain that so so many people have but are not able to share…or find healing.

I hope that anyone who has been abused will read this book and find the courage that Dan had to confront his past and the bondage it had him in. It tells a story that so effectively illustrates the ongoing damage that abuse brings about in peoples lives but does not have to.

It offers hope as well. Hope that healing can come and perpetrators can be confronted. That closure can come and with it healing and a the opportunity to go forward and no longer live in the past.

I strongly recommend this book and hope that as many people as possible have a chance to read it and learn from it….I certainly did.

John J. Koehler MD
President, CEO
Physicians Immediate Care

March 11, 2009: Above His Shoulders is a poignantly written, personal account of childhood sexual abuse. As we travel with the author from childhood, through adolescence and on to adulthood, we witness the searing impact of sexual abuse on the soul and the devastating impact on both personal and professional relationships.

The book is also about courage. Courage is something we all admire, and when asked to define the word, most likely conjures up images of physical bravery and protecting others from physical harm. The essence of courage is harder to define, but becomes clearer as we see instances identifying same, instances of holding onto one’s moral center, casting off adversity and “doing the right thing” regardless of the consequences. Consider how the author is finally able to share his history of abuse with those closest to him, and the courage shown when confronting his perpetrator.

The author stands tall and blows the whistle on sexual perpetrators, on behalf of us all. His journey is courageous, honest, and triumphant.

Courage by Anne Sexton

It is in the small things we see it.

The child’s first step,

as awesome as an earthquake.

The first time you rode a bike,

wallowing up the sidewalk.

The first spanking when your heart

went on a journey all alone.

When they called you crybaby

or poor or fatty or crazy

and made you into an alien,

you drank their acid

and concealed it.

Later,

if you faced the death of bombs and bullets

you did not do it with a banner,

you did it with only a hat to

comver your heart.

You did not fondle the weakness inside you

though it was there.

Your courage was a small coal

that you kept swallowing.

If your buddy saved you

and died himself in so doing,

then his courage was not courage,

it was love; love as simple as shaving soap.

Later,

if you have endured a great despair,

then you did it alone,

getting a transfusion from the fire,

picking the scabs off your heart,

then wringing it out like a sock.

Next, my kinsman, you powdered your sorrow,

you gave it a back rub

and then you covered it with a blanket

and after it had slept a while

it woke to the wings of the roses

and was transformed.

Later,

when you face old age and its natural conclusion

your courage will still be shown in the little ways,

each spring will be a sword you’ll sharpen,

those you love will live in a fever of love,

and you’ll bargain with the calendar

and at the last moment

when death opens the back door

you’ll put on your carpet slippers

and stride out.

Dr. Williams touches the elements of gender and power, sexuality and nurturance, safety and identity, freedom and love, fate and identity, God and nature…as if they are notes of a song that we have all heard before.

This book is about real life for real people with real pain, who do have new beginnings and happy endings.

Kathryn Brown, Ed.D.

The characters of Williams’ story are rich with detail, from his stoic yet devoted father to his Grandpa Pete, a chronic jokester who owned a sleepy bar in the author’s birthplace. We meet the nun who covered for Williams in a pinch, and the New York physician who introduced him to medicine as warfare. He manages to convey happiness at falling in love just as easily as the pain of its departure, and his descriptions of parenthood and the joys of being a father are deeply moving.

It’s remarkable that just pages after a tender description of hunting rabbits with his father, Williams can open up and reveal his deepest wound, the repeated abuse he endured at the hands of his cousin, the antagonist in this tale. He shows us how these early injuries reverberated forward in time, helping to sow the seeds of failure in relationship after relationship, and frequently crippling his ability to lead a normal life. We also bear witness to his cathartic confrontation with his tormentor, and later his redemption, when he finds a direction with the help of a short Jewish psychiatrist and spiritual healer in the Arizona desert.

Whether you have had similar experiences and are looking for guidance, or are just interested in a good and powerful read, you should pick up a copy of Above His Shoulders and give it a try. There truly is something here for every reader.

Mr. Williams imparts decades of wisdom, through his own vast experiences, both as a person as well as a practitioner, to give the reader hope and awaken the strength of faith within us to heal our souls and build our spirit to fully appreciate the gift of everyday. He empowers us to embrace even the trials of life as spirit-building experiences that cultivate increased fulfillment today, contentment despite uncontrollable circumstances, assets of humility and generosity, and passion for the future.

Dan Williams has revealed his battle with the consequences of childhood sexual abuse, and done it in a way that helps me understand it better, and to connect more with those who have suffered in this way. I am thankful for the insights that he has shared that help me be a better friend and helper to those in my life who have suffered similarly.

Some people think that suffering people can only be helped from a position of strength, power, control and “having it all together.” We so often hide our pain and deep hurts from one another, even in families, marriages and in other close human relationships.

In contrast, Dan’s journey reveals that positive healing can be found when we become vulnerable, transparent and seek help. He shows how it is possible, even preferable, to connect with others who are hurting from a position of brokenness, weakness, and humility. I think this book can be a help to many hurting people from a man who through life experience has become a “wounded healer.”

Thank you Dan. It was a great read and I look forward to your next book!

There is hope, that was the message that was riddled through the book. It was uplifting and actually caused me to ponder my own life and how I see people, my loved one’s and life in general. I highlighted areas,and wrote in the margin so I can go back to some of my favorite passages.

Williams makes it an easy read and it was difficult to put down. I read this in two nights and it has still,with me. Would recomend this book 100%, be prepared for an emotional roller coaster. You will close the book smiling, realizing that hope can be accomplished for anyone who has experienced abuse.

I also loved the Nietzsche quote, “That which does not kill me , makes me stronger” How true , how true.