Publisher's Synopsis
William Hayden is a passionate advocate for ending domestic violence (DV). He's experienced the devastating consequences of domestic violence as a child, as a police officer and in the military. The son of a prominent surgeon, he works to break the traditional stereotype that those affected by domestic violence are limited to the fringes of society. He shares his stories regarding abuse and his own journey of healing and growth. In Affidavit of Objections he aims to take the readers along his turbulent journey and provide thoughtful advice for those who may not realize that they are victims or survivors. Affidavit of Objections is a gritty memoir about a dysfunctional upper middle class family in the Boston suburbs with an abusive and manipulative alcoholic patriarch. The story follows Sammy Lee's journey during the turbulent days leading up to the death of his father and the legal battle that raged over the fate his estate. Sammy finally face the episodes of domestic violence in his past and the racism surrounding my interracial marriage. Sammy probes the intangible, unspoken restlessness that lives beneath the surface in many of us. Present day events are interspersed with chapters unearthing agonizing moments from my childhood with ironic humor. Sammy returns from my self-imposed exile to deal with the lies that swirl through the family. In the months that follow the funeral he has reoccurring delusions that my father is not really dead, and he struggles to deal with the rage and the demons that haunt him. He searches for the root of his father's abusiveness, while an outrageous legal battle with his father's girlfriend plays out. In the end, Sammy make peace with the memory of his father, reflects on the damage in his own psyche and finds renewed hope as he starts a family of his own. The author was in his late thirties before he came to the realization that, despite a successful career, he had never dealt with the domestic violence he faced as a child. His fath
