The Lonely Child: From Abuse and Addiction to Faith and Redemption Paperback – April 4, 2026

"A raw, unflinching memoir of survival, addiction, and the long road to redemption."Abuse often hides in plain sight in words, in silence, in control, in addiction. For James Wilkins, it was all of these and more. The Lonely Child pulls back the curtain on a childhood shaped by neglect, violence, and emotional starvation, yet it is not a story of despair, it is a testament to the human spirit's refusal to break.From a fractured leg at kindergarten to a jaw stabbed with a sharpened popsicle stick, from malnutrition hidden behind black‑ringed eyes to the cruelty of a mother who tied him down with extension cords, James’s early years were a battlefield. He was put out of the house at seven, jailed as a teenager, and lost in the chaos of the Air Force and the grip of addiction. But somewhere in the wreckage, he found a thread of hope, faith, perseverance, and the courage to rewrite his own ending.Told with brutal honesty and quiet resilience, The Lonely Child is more than a memoir. It is a guide to recognizing abuse in all its forms, a lifeline for anyone who has felt invisible, and a reminder that no matter how deep the wounds, healing is possible.For readers of A Child Called “It”, The Glass Castle, and Educated, this book will leave you shaken, moved, and ultimately inspired. Read more