Divergent Lives

ISBN-13: 9780991655236 / Angielski / Miękka / 2014 / 190 str.

I. Vicente

Opis

Divergent Lives is the true story of two brothers whose lives have taken dramatically different turns. After more than 30 years of estrangement, they are suddenly reunited by tragedy when Nelson suffers two strokes and requires brain surgery. Israel visits his brother at the hospital, and seeing Nelson in a coma-with monstrous stitches where half his skull has been removed-propels him down Memory Lane. He yearns for an understanding of the root cause of their decades-old separation and an explanation for their wildly divergent lives. Nelson's life has been complicated from birth, beginning with the divorce of his parents and his mother's marriage to Israel's father. With an unaffectionate, largely absent father figure and an overcompensating mother, Nelson satisfies his childhood hunger for attention by pursuing a life of petty crime. He joins the Navy at 17 but, unable to cope with the military's disciplinarian culture, he is dishonorably discharged in the middle of boot camp. As the years roll on, he fathers eight children from five different wives. Three of his sons are named Nelson, yet Nelson raises none of them himself. He cannot hold down a job, often staying only long enough to steal from his employer and leaving before he can be caught. With each demonstration of Nelson's impulsiveness, the brothers grow farther apart, but Israel continues to protect Nelson-that is, until he steals Israel's driver's license and racks up numerous infractions, leaving Israel no choice but to hold his brother criminally accountable for his actions. Nelson disappears after the trial, and the two brothers do not speak or see each other for the next 32 years. Despite being raised by the same parents, the two brothers have responded quite differently to their lackadaisical, irresponsible upbringing. While Israel is determined to graduate high school, go to college, and carve out a better life for himself, Nelson learns from his parents' poor example and embraces this lifestyle as his own. It suits his natural desire for immediate gratification and little responsibility. Israel concludes that Nelson suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder-the result of a fractured personality and irresponsible parenting-and that he must have suffered as a young boy. If someone in the family had intervened to give Nelson the attention he needed to repair his fragile soul, he might have been saved. Nelson is barely clinging to life and with little chance of recovery, but Israel finally finds a measure of peace and resolution about their relationship. With the clarity gained by careful reflection and years of separation, Israel is able to strip away the years of bitterness and frustration to reveal love, forgiveness, and understanding. Divergent Lives is a compelling tale of two brothers, two paths...and one unbreakable bond.