He Calls Me Redeemed: A Memoir of Childhood Sex Abuse, Heroin Addiction, Hope, and Redemption

by Arman Kaymakcian

Sexual abuse. Heroin addiction. A childhood lost and a life nearly ended. He Calls Me Redeemed is a raw and gripping memoir of pain, addiction, and the redeeming power of faith.In He Calls Me Redeemed, Arman explores his past at the intersection of faith, addiction, abuse, family, culture, and death. He walks the reader through his life, typical in some ways but painted with a unique touch of Armenian culture and the harsh realities of sexual abuse in his drug-rich Jersey Shore community. As a boy, he tries to manage the pain of being sexually abused while stumbling toward manhood. Young Arman looks up to his loving father. His father, however, holds a tragic secret inside. His father’s struggles foreshadow his own path, culminating in gripping drug addiction and crime.The depths of Arman’s addiction and anguish make rock bottom hard to reach. Hopeless and on the verge of suicide, Arman begs to be saved from his pain. It’s at that exact moment the love of God transforms him. What follows is an exploration of self on the other side of pain, which presents its own challenges. Despite his spiritual salvation and redemption, Arman reinforces the imagery of physical scars as he describes more heartbreak. Luckily for the reader, the final message is one of hope as the boy and son become a man and father, flawed and scarred but Redeemed.A hotel on the beach served as a literal home for young Arman. In He Calls Me Redeemed, he takes us through his past via “rooms,” each containing salient memories and insights. The rooms are intimate, each having a look into his soul as he encounters family history, culture, religion, sex, drugs, death, and fatherhood. Arman’s appeal as an author is his ability to lay his naked truth on the pages without condition. He remains accountable throughout, allowing us to read his vividly detailed experiences as they were. He is not seeking redemption from the reader; we can simply take in his powerful story.Walk through the rooms of Arman Kaymakcian’s life in this vividly detailed, emotionally charged memoir. Witness the intersection of faith, family, and addiction as Arman stumbles toward manhood in the wake of childhood sexual trauma. He Calls Me Redeemed lays bare the naked truth–no holds barred. An unflinching portrayal of the darkest depths of human experience and the triumph of the human spirit. Scroll up and grab your copy today.

246 pages, Paperback

Published November 3, 2023

Reviews

[Erin Roneree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most well written books I’ve ever read- the way the author describes things from his life is just so vivid! You feel like you are there- can smell or taste or hear what he is writing. Sometimes you felt it graphically and felt the emotions along with Arman. Raw. Real. Shows the redemption of Jesus clearly yet shows how we as sinful man still struggle even after He’s redeemed us. Shows how Jesus redeems us eternally even when we’ve messed up even after becoming a Christian. Can’t say enough good things about this book- and having grown up half hour away from Asbury park myself and personally knowing two of the pastors in the book and Keswick well- it brought it even more alive for me.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful, emotional, spiritual, courageous. A beautifully crafted memoir about hitting rock bottom and being redeemed by Christ.

“I wasn’t scared to die anymore; I was no longer held hostage by the fear of death we all face. I was free. I had been called so many things throughout my life. I had been called fat, a loser, weirdo, degenerate, criminal, a waste of life, scumbag, and a drug addict. Satan himself called me guilty, and I had even called myself a number of those things. But it didn’t matter anymore what anyone called me, because Jesus? Well… He calls me redeemed.”

[Chale Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing story of God’s Redemption of his children.

[LINDA RAGUSA · Rating 5 out of 5]

inspirational!

Such a soul wrenching yet heart warming story of a young man who’s life was turned around after finding Jesus.

[_sassy_39 · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He Calls Me Redeemed: A Memoir of Childhood Sex Abuse, Heroin Addiction, Hope, and Redemption" penned by the author Arman Kaymakcian is an intriguing read. When Arman was a young boy, someone asked him, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" His answer was: he wanted to be a daddy. To Arman, his father's eyes held both the memories of his past and the promise of his future. Following his parents' divorce, Arman could only see his dad on weekends.

His mother’s best friend, Aunt Danielle, was a significant figure in their life. However, she disapproved of Danielle’s boyfriend, Rich. When after a concert visit, Arman stayed at Danielle's house, he was sexually abused by Rich. The abuse went on for a long time after the first instance.

As a drug dealer, Arman always had dope. No one knew about his heroin habit. Things got ugly when Arman’s mild manageable addiction became an intense obsession. He smoked heroin all day everyday and it consumed every part of him.

Arman kept the abuse a secret with him. He started binge eating and gained so much weight. Over the next two years, his appearance changed. Arman learned about pain, depression and how to cope with them.

The childhood sex-abuse made him angry, confused, lonely, self-destructive, etc. Read this book to discover how his journey shaped his path to manhood. It’s a powerful story of abuse, faith, trauma, recovery, healing and hope. This memoir took me on an emotional rollercoaster, and I’m deeply grateful to the author for sharing such a personal experience. It’s a reminder that even in our darkest moments, there’s always light, and God never abandons us. I’m truly glad I had the chance to read this book.