Overview

Sometimes the legal process to pursue justice is even more traumatic than the original sins committed against you. When David Samarzia informs leaders of Redeemer Lutheran Church that their pastor molested him in boyhood, he doesn't ask them for a dime, or even an apology for the trouble the abuse caused in his life. He wants one thing only-that they call off a mission trip for kids who would be staying with the predatory minister. That's all. He fully expects the church to take care of its own problem. But in a bewildering turn of events that makes national news, he becomes embroiled in a vicious legal battle that will challenge all he believes in. Unfolding against the backdrop of Minnesota's beautiful north country, David's story exposes the dark underbelly of our justice system and the lawyers who perpetuate it. With unflinching honesty, he writes of other people's failures, and his own. Yet Blindsided is no mere tell-all memoir. At its heart is a father-son story of family love, loyalty, and perseverance in the face of evil, even when it costs them everything.

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Reviews

""In Blindsided, David's journey is a chilling account and courageous example of speaking truth to power. His story serves as a voice for the voiceless, turning silence into a powerful anthem for change, transformation, and reclamation!"" -Andrea Constand, author of The Moment: Standing Up to Bill Cosby, Speaking Up for Women ""I'm grateful for David Samarzia's humble courage to share his horrific yet cautiously triumphant story of the drama and trauma of the intersection of abuses he's suffered, from sexual to religious to legal. I hope people read his story as another installment in the desperate cry for reform and accountability in our systems and the people who manage them."" -David Hayward, speaker, blogger, author of The Liberation of Sophia ""Blindsided is more than a courageous, deeply moving account of surviving childhood sexual assault. That was just the beginning of the journey for Samarzia, who then sets out to stop a serial predator, spare other children, and hold institutions accountable. His inspiring quest for justice turns into a yearslong legal ordeal from hell, illuminating the cruelty of a system that retraumatizes victims and shields perpetrators. It is our good fortune that Samarzia has emerged to tell the tale in this important, timely, and urgently needed book."" -Stephen Mills, author of Chosen: A Memoir of Stolen Boyhood

Author Information

David Samarzia gave countless unpaid hours to PAVSA (Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault), First Witness Child Advocacy Center, Men as Peacemakers, and other nonprofits. He staffed the PAVSA hotline, taking calls from hundreds of men and women in their own abuse crises. For them he was a listener, advocate, and a real friend who understood what they were going through. He was interviewed by local and national news outlets, including Newsweek, Dateline, World News Tonight, and Minnesota public radio. His lawsuit, filed anonymously as John W. Doe v. Redeemer Lutheran Church et al, set a precedent for other victims of childhood sexual abuse to prevail in litigation against their molesters.David is a lifelong dog lover who credits his canine companions for helping him survive the unthinkable. Find him online at www.davidsamarzia.net.

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