OR

Kindle Price:	$3.95
Sold by:	Amazon.com Services LLC

Promotions apply when you purchase

Read with our free app

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Follow the author

Daniel R. Mathews

+ Follow

More books from this author

The Demons of Plainville: A Survivor’s Story of Storms and Reconstruction Kindle Edition

by Daniel Mathews (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 11 ratings

See all formats and editions

Some true stories read like fiction, but for those who have to personally live through the experiences, the nightmare is vividly real. Daniel R. Mathews digs into the darkness of his past with his haunting memoir, The Demons of Plainville.

As a child, Daniel struggles to find his footing in an upside-down world. His mother is mentally ill and addicted to drugs; she performs black masses to summon demons, is physically abusive, and plays brutal mind games that make him doubt his sanity and despair of ever making sense of life or himself. Even his father beats Daniel after “rescuing” him from his mother. Thanks to a few unexpected friends, Daniel survives his devastating youth and emerges stronger for it.

But Daniel’s battles aren’t over. Finally free of his abusive parents, he now must face himself and wrestle with his sexual identity in a community that sees nothing wrong with homophobia.

Candid and compelling, this is a triumphant tale of a young man who walked through the darkness, bravely faced his demons, and against all odds carried the faint light of hope with him every step of the way.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...an inspiring true story and I found Daniel's frank, no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is style of writing to be very engaging...5 Stars" - Gisela Dixon for Readers' Favorite
"...is a saga replete with struggle, 'demons', hard truths and harder realizations that lead to real change - it's a memoir that, more than most, charts the process and the key moments that lend towards movement towards the light and positive..." - D. Donovan, Senior eBook Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

From the Back Cover

She is his mother, the woman who is supposed to love and protect him, and yet it is she who introduces him to the cruelty of the world--forcing him to falsely confess to her paranoid accusations, summoning demons against him, beating him mercilessly, and making him doubt not only his worth but his sanity.
Surviving a mentally ill, drug-addicted mother and an emotionally distant, physically abusive father, Daniel R. Mathews grows resilient but still must struggle through the confusion of his sexual identity and navigate homophobic bullying as he tries to free himself from his past and finally experience a meaningful relationship.
The Demons of Plainville is an unforgettable memoir that confronts child abuse, mental illness, drug addiction, hate crimes, and suicide with the positive power of hope.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00XYWRZUY
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lost Legacy Press (May 26, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 26, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1222 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 293 pages

Customer Reviews:
4.1 11 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Daniel R. Mathews

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

An avid reader of science fiction, horror, and fantasy, Daniel R. Mathews is a novelist and nonfiction writer whose books feature LGBT youth braving danger with honor and dignity, including his personal memoir, The Demons of Plainville, and debut horror novel, The Unseen Kingdom.

For the past two decades, Mathews has worked as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified ground instructor, meteorologist, and a member of the web development and Internet technical support community. He currently lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.

I have spent the bulk of my life doing PHP & MySQL development, along with internet technical support. However, I’d always gravitated toward any excuse to write. It was only recently that dissatisfaction prompted me to make significant changes to my life and start a formal writing career. Please check out my memoir: ‘The Demons of Plainville: A Survivor’s Story of Storms and Reconstruction‘ to get a better understanding of where I’ve been and why I am compelled to write.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

11 global ratings

2 star

0%

1 star

0%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Denis

An Insightful and Compelling Story

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2015

Verified Purchase

This memoir, like many others, relates the all too common story of the author's difficult and challenging early life. What sets it apart is how the young boy in this story is raised by a mother and aunt involved in an incestuous relationship who conduct a regular “Black Mass” using a “Satanic Bible.” The only time they demonstrate concern for the boy is during these “masses,” requiring him to sit inside their imaginary circle of black candles where he will be safe from the demons they summon into their home. Whereas these demons never materialize other than in his Mother and Aunt's imaginations or in the dancing shadows of the candles the boy sees, he is to confront the real demons of life outside that circle everyday. This is a compelling, relevant and well written story that is worth the time it take to sit down and read it. This memoir has stayed with me since I put it down. I like that in any book I read. It has made me reflect on my own life as well as giving me a better perspective and understanding on other peoples behavior.

Helpful

Simon

A Great read for someone who had to survive childhood

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2015

Verified Purchase

A hauntingly heart breaking story. I want to thank Mr. Mathews for putting his story out there for others to read, truly took guts. At times I wanted to cry as it earily reminded me of my past. I think many people could relate to this coming of age story. Its extremely well written and has a pace that is hard to put down. Thank you Mr. Mathews.

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2015

Verified Purchase

Definitely a book that people need to have in their library.

Helpful

Ravina Andrea Kurian

The Demons of Plainville by Daniel R. Mathews

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2015

Crazy people don't know their crazy. Unfortunately, the same applies for stupid people. And that best describes the author's mother who is at the centre of this memoir. Reading this memoir made my blood boil. Parents are given gifts when they are given children. To then abuse, destroy and have no concern for this gift shows there is something wrong with the parent, not the child.

I salute Daniel R. Mathews for having the strength to pen down his past and to share it with the world. As with many memoirs, I know some people who will find negative points about his life story. But I say, before you criticise the author for sharing his story, pay close attention to what he is actually saying. The abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother was not his doing.

This is a story of a boy who became a man despite having the adults in his life let him down. Sharing his story lends hope to others who are or have been in his situation. A well-written memoir that will make you appreciate every moment of your life.

Would I recommend this read? Definitely. While some parts of the memoir may contain details that could trigger other child abuse survivors, I do recommend reading this memoir to understand the long-term affects of child abuse.

Overall assessment:
Content: 5/5
Editing: 4.5/5
Formatting: 5/5
Pacing: 4/5

Offensive content?: Based on language and settings, I would recommend this book for anyone aged 18 and up.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author. I did not receive any payment in exchange for this review nor was I obliged to write a positive one.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jersey Girl Book Reviews / Jersey Girl Sizzling Book Reviews

The Demons of Plainville

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2015

In his haunting memoir, The Demons of Plainville, author Daniel R. Mathews takes the reader along on his heart wrenching but truly inspirational personal journey of survival and self discovery.

This is a well-written and compelling coming of age story about the author's traumatic childhood filled with unspeakable physical, mental, and emotional abuse by his family, and how he was able to overcome the darkness of his childhood and the daunting challenges from within his community, to face his demons and embrace his true identity.

This was definitely not an easy story to read, but the author's inspirational message of how he survived and emerged stronger and able to identify and embrace his true self is a powerful statement that needed to be shared. Hopefully from the author's story, the world can learn to feel compassion, accept, embrace, and celebrate their fellow human beings for their individuality no matter of race, creed, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.

The Demons of Plainville is a candid, relevant, and thought provoking memoir that will stir the soul and stay with the reader for quite some time.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2015

The Demons of Plainville is Daniel Matthews' engaging and well-told autobiographical account of his childhood, a childhood beset by a mentally ill mother and, when he eventually shows up in the story of Daniel's life, a violent father. It is a tale, also, of a few anchoring friendships and relationships, the kind that can give us hope and sometimes be our salvation. Demons reminded me very much of Pelzer's A Child Called It, though Daniel also had to sort though another troubling sense of difference from others as he slowly realized he was gay. Those reading this book who had a happy childhood will count themselves blessed to have not been born into Daniel's life. And anyone who shares a difficult life with Daniel should take a "look inside" on the book's Amazon page and seriously consider getting this book -- Daniel Matthews is a perceptive writer who, as he sorts through his own experiences, will likely help others to sort through their own, helping them to greater clarity in their lives, too. Highly recommended.

Helpful

Staarsh

A page turner of a memoir

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2015

Couldn't put the book down. A well-written heart wrenching tale. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

OR

Buy for others

Buying and sending eBooks to others

Follow the author

Image Unavailable

The Demons of Plainville: A Survivor’s Story of Storms and Reconstruction Kindle Edition

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Daniel R. Mathews

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.