After the Pain

Bibliography My name is George Rice. I come from a middle class New York family, which was dysfunctional. My father who finally left when I was eight years old abused me. He did not pay child support to my mother so we were forced to move into a housing project in New Rochelle, New York. I lived with fear all the time. I was terrorized. I was illiterate until the eighth grade. I basically learned how to read through comic books. I could not look in the mirror because I had such low self-esteem. I quit everything I started except drinking. I started drinking when I was fourteen years old and I could not stop drinking. I finally had to make an important decision that changed the course of my life and the lives of my children too. I stopped drinking and went to A. A. I still did not like myself very much so I went to the stationary store and picked up some round, stick-on dots all the same color. Then I wrote on the bathroom mirror, “You’re a good person, worthy of love and respect” and put one of my dots next to it. I put the dots on my T V., truck mirror, bathroom mirror so I could remember that statement. After awhile, I started learning to love and respect myself. This book came out of the experiences of my life. I believe it will help anyone who has experienced low self-esteem, trauma or hopelessness. The principles that I talk about in this book are those things that have helped me. Everything I say, I have lived.