"I dreaded coming home from grade school. Dad worked the night shift downtown, but if he decided to drink in the morning, I could count on him to be there, waiting for me."

A life of abuse, sexual exploration, and spiritual awakening form the basis of Yehuda Jacobi's moving memoir, "Precious Scars."

Candidly detailing his life as the child of a physically abusive father and enabling mother, Jacobi suffers from a variety of severe emotional issues by the time he leaves home.

Struggling with his sexuality, Jacobi flirts with the idea of suicide until his chance encounter with an...