Never Let Me Go: A Portrait of Sexual Predation

by Chuck Rosenthal

In 1964, Chuck Rosenthal was a thirteen year old boy whose dream was to make his grade school basketball team. Never Let Me Go tells the true story of how a college professor who coached grade school basketball as a hobby became the man who held that dream in his hands; became Rosenthal's coach and his mentor; how he made Rosenthal his student, ...

Genres: Nonfiction

312 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

Chuck Rosenthal, also known as C.P. Rosenthal, is an American novelist, short story writer, and memoirist whose work spans several decades and genres. Since the 1980s, he has authored a rich body of literary fiction, blending philosophical inquiry with imaginative storytelling. A longtime Professor of English at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Rosenthal is also known for his collaborative work with his wife, the poet Gail Wronsky.
Rosenthal’s bibliography includes the acclaimed Loop Trilogy—Loop’s Progress, Experiments in Life and Deaf, and Loop’s End—as well as a wide range of other novels such as Elena of the Stars, inspired by his daughter Marlena Rosenthal, Jack Kerouac’s Avatar Angel: His Last Novel, and The Heart of Mars. His fiction often explores themes of identity, language, and transcendence, sometimes drawing on iconic literary or mythological figures, as seen in You Can Fly: A Sequel to the Peter Pan Tales and The Legend of La Diosa.
In nonfiction, Rosenthal's memoir Never Let Me Go reflects on personal and familial relationships, while West of Eden and Are We Not There Yet? chronicle life in Los Angeles and travels through South Asia, respectively. His literary voice is both cerebral and playful, deeply philosophical yet grounded in the human experience.
Chuck Rosenthal’s body of work also includes The Shortest Farewells Are the Best, a noir flash fiction collection co-authored with Wronsky, and the speculative Tomorrow You’ll Be One of Us: Sci Fi Poems, further demonstrating his versatility and genre-crossing instincts.
A vibrant voice in contemporary American literature, Rosenthal is as dedicated to teaching and literary exploration as he is to writing, continuing to shape readers and writers alike with his thoughtful, inventive prose.

Reviews

[Joseph Naus · Rating 5 out of 5]

i was given this book by a friend who is a professor who was a student of the author.

this is a hidden gem. i've never seen it in a bookstore, and yet it's in my top 5 list of memoirs.

for every man who has heard about another man/boy being molested who has reacted, 'why would they let them do that? if someone tried to do that to me i kicked their ass or at least, tell someone ..." this book reveals the psychological process that a victim goes through. it's astonishing. it's well written. it's harrowing. it's entertaining. in the end, hopeful.

read it.