Raised in Hell
A non-fiction family dramedy. You have no control of the environment into which you are born, but you can control how that environment will affect you.
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To say it was a broken home was a severe understatement. “We were broke as hell.” For most of my childhood we were entirely dependent on the California welfare system which meant food stamps and a very low fixed income. Needless to say we were living far from the lap of luxury. At times our meals were just enough to line the stomach. We quite often had Chicken and dumplings without the chicken. We has powdered eggs, powdered potatoes, powdered milk; going to school every day with a bag of powdered substance, school officials thought that I was a ten year old drug dealer. “What is this? Dope?” they would ask. “No! it’s my lunch!” How much damage has my childhood upbringing done to my mental & emotional stability? The jury is still out on that. You never really know the extent of the long term effect of a hostile and unstable home life on a child. I’m a grown ass man with at least one grown child of my own and I’m still feeling the side effects of alcoholism, poverty, emotional, verbal and a sometimes physically abusive upbringing. My mother, Carrie Mae, had moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, to escape an alcoholic husband, only to become an abusive alcoholic herself. I’ve always heard that there were four types of drunks: a violent drunk: a pissy drunk; a crying drunk: and the kind that passes out. Well, wouldn’t you know it. My mother was all four. She would get full of that Russian (Kamchatka) Vodka, terrorize us by threatening to kill us, start crying and pass out. Obviously, we couldn’t wait for that last part to happen. I often joked about how we never liked having real silverware in the house. Let’s just say it was a safety precaution. “It’s hard to stab someone to death with a plastic fork”.So, we basically lived on paper plates and Dixie cups. In a way it was cool with us because Mommy would break up most of the dishes which meant we didn’t have to wash them. These conditions were obviously unhealthy for the proper development of a child yet ironically it was fruitful and nontraditionally nurturing in a strange way. The unorthodox form of love that was expressed in my upbringing embodies the depth of agape love that defines true family bond and transcends all personal issues, illnesses and tragedies. The various differences that many families have in expressing love is abundantly clear in our situation.
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About the Book
A non-fiction family dramedy about overcoming obstacles, family bond and survival. A true story of a family's struggle to endure in a challenging time and an even tougher environment. Delivered from the perspective of the youngest child of nine with humor, hardship and professional precision. "Deon D. Price has provided a trusted and respected perspective for youth. A great story teller, he has mastered the ability to deliver a critical and current message to today's youth culture. I endorse and support Deon's efforts." --Larry J. Moody, East Palo Alto, CA City Council Member "I was laughing out loud! There was laughter and tears at the same time. This will be as good as, if not better than a Madea movie!" -- Evelyn L. Polk, LMFT and Author of "It's the Heart Work" "Deon D. Price is the REAL DEAL, PERIOD. His experience as described in "Raised in Hel" is a perfect example of inspiration and hope for a plethora of young people to emulate! " --Kevin Bracy, Executive Producer of The MonSTARS of Motivation, Founder of Life Changers Intl. "A great read! This book should be a blueprint for anyone committed to serving youth and families. I'm impressed with Deon's innovative approach and creative thinking for impacting young people." --Wil Cason, Motivational Speaker "To say that Deon D. Price and his journey in "Raised in Hell" is inspiring does not do it justice. He provides a well-lit path from illness to wellness inside urban America. He lifts me up and makes me and others go on doing what we do." --Mike Pritchard, Keynote Speaker, Author and Life Coach< "Deon D. Price's heartbreaking yet laugh out loud story is a model of resiliency for today's youth and should be a must read for those giving their all to help improve the lives of young people in America." --Heidi Schrumpf, JD, PhD, University of Montana
About the Author
Deon Price is a Youth Life skills Coach and former standup comedian with twenty years of experience as a Youth Service Worker as well as ten years in juvenile probation. He has dedicated most of his adult life to the field of youth and child development. Currently he is a Youth Career Transition instructor for the Department of Labor. Through his organization Price Edutainment, he has delivered motivational talks and seminars to parents, educators as well as students throughout California. His brand of motivational comedy is delivered with both humor and professional precision. As a columnist, he has written weekly and monthly articles on the subject of modern youth culture in print and on-line. His Bi-weekly column “This Generation” reaches several hundred thousand readers and has run in several publications including the Fairfield Daily Republic, Tavis Talks, City Flight Magazine, 311-Zine in San Francisco and the New York Times. He also hosts an on-line web show of the same name.(www.youtube.com/priceedutainment) Deon received the 2010 “I am greatness” spotlight award for motivational speakers. He also has appeared as a guest on Radio & T.V. programs to offer his unique perspective on issues regarding this generation of youth. He has four children, three sons and a daughter. He lives in Northern California with his wife and kids.