‘Rock Bottom’ Author Michael Cooley
Friday, March 30, 2012
Michael Cooley should, by his own accounting, should never have survived his youth. Cooley A member of two dysfunctional families, Cooley's mother in St. Louis was an alcoholic; his stepmother and stepbrothers in Gainesville, Texas, abused him relentlessly—both physically and verbally. As a child, Mike bounced from school to school and from city to city. As a teenager, he turned to gangs and drugs for a sense of acceptance. Eventually, he ended up homeless, sleeping on rooftops and in alleys, and living out of his car. But survive he did, and has written a memoir called Rock Bottom. He's reading from Rock Bottom Friday night, March 30, at the Barnes and Noble in Middletown from 6-8pm. GoLocal caught up with Cooley to talk about his journey, and the chronicling of it.
Can you briefly summarize the bold strokes of "Rock Bottom?"
I am sharing my story to hopefully use my past and what I have become so others can change their future. After you read the book you will realize there is no way I should be here today, which is what I thought. Then I realized that I went through what I went though to be a living example to use my past to help those struggling with their future. I had to tell the story even if it meant losing everything by putting it out there. And to many I had a lot to lose including millions of dollars, my reputation, respect, career and status but telling my story was far too compelling that it couldn't be stopped.
What inspired you to turn to writing to tell your story?
My daughter Sierra was the most incredible blessing to me when she was born. I originally started writing a journal to give to her when she was in her twenties. Because I knew that as long as I was living she was never going to know child abuse, she was not going to be a 'throw away' as a teenager and she was not going to know homelessness and she would always be loved unconditionally. I also wanted her to develop the character that when she did see those who struggled with these issues she would understand and hopefully be driven to help. That was my goal but my wife read the journal and then others that were very close to me and they said this was much more than a journal and the world needed to hear this story. Then it morphed into Rock Bottom.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe memoir has lost a lot of credibility thanks to books like "A Million Little Pieces," in which author James Frey conflated and outright made up his life experiences. Your story is quite dramatic. Can readers believe this all happened?
I know this book well, my wife actually read it and saw both interviews with Frey on Oprah. She also knows my story and compared the two and thought they were equally compelling. The only difference was Frey's was fiction and I lived through everything that I wrote about and I challenge anyone, even the people who were there to deny any part of this story. Their recollection may be different but it was my reality.
Have your friends and neighbors in Rhode Island read Rock Bottom yet? If so, what's the response to you been like?
Just prior to the release of the book I went and met with the owner of the company I work for and gave him a copy of the book. I also rented out a restaurant where I invited my town of friends to hear the Rock Bottom story. You see, I was coaching their kids, their kids and my kids spent time together. I didn't want them to be shocked by this story and I didn't want the owner to be shocked. Honestly, there have been mixed responses but I made the decision that no matter how people responded, I would not judge and I just had to accept if they were offended.
How's your life changed since publishing "Rock Bottom?"
Once again, honestly it has been challenging I do whatever I can and spend a lot of my time to get the word out. I am constantly speaking at schools, prisons, volunteer organization, shelters, businesses, churches, all at no charge. I give away books all the time. I do several interviews, have been on TV several times, been in several newspaper stories and invested thousands of dollars of my own money sponsoring events. I am struggling in hopes to break even. Some of the people close to me who know the story have distanced themselves from me and others are guarded around me because the have learned that the successful business and family man had a very different past. But you know what? when I speak at a high school and a teenage girl with autism comes up to me after hearing me talk about child abuse and whispers in my ear that she knows what I am going through because she is currently being sexually abused. She says she hasn't told anyone tells me that what I am doing has to be done. I continue to hear these heart breaking stories and it weighs heavy on my mind reminding me that I have to do more. So my life has changed and will never be the same but this is what I feel I am called to do.
Hear Michael Cooley at Barnes and Noble in Middletown tonight, Friday March 30, from 6-8pm.
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