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Hell's Highway: A True Life Journey Of Child Abuse, Alcohol And Drug Addiction.
The Complete UNEDITED True Story camouflaged by the changing of dates and names, as well... it is a story of depravity, deprivation and cruelty... a story of angels with razor wire halos. It is a story of guts, determination, learning the hard way, the law of the jungle and human kindness even in the vilest of circumstances. It is the story of a life that never stood a chance...except for the guy that lived and the merciful God that was watching over him. Whether you are a troubled soul struggling with tragedies that appear insurmountable, or one privileged to say "there but for the grace of God go I".... from start to finish this story will move you to the very depths of your Being. That every minute of it was lived by the man who put these words to paper only adds to its deep and eternal message.
386 pages, Paperback
First published April 22, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 19, 2025
Honest, Raw
For those readers familiar with my reviews, I think most would agree that I try to be fair and honest. I recognize that not every book we read is going to resonate with us, hold our attention, have perfect editing, and not every book out there makes the New York Times Best Sellers list. You might recall that here and there I will comment that I wish there were half stars in the rating system also because I had a hard time deciding whether a book was an average 3 stars, or superior which I envision as 4 stars. But sometimes it's a tough decision. Maybe you love the writing style, and honesty but you dislike the ending and the slow beginning so in cases where you think something surpasses average but you're not sure it is a whole star better, a half star would feel more accurate. That was my dilemma to some extent here. I really like the author's writing as it is so open and honest. I like that the book doesn't take the Lord's name in vain and isn't inappropriate with excessive swearing or sex but I didn't care for simple spelling mistakes that are easy to catch but either weren't or just weren't corrected.
This book tells the story of a little boy named George but is called by one of his middle names, Daniel or Danny throughout. Dan lives with his family in rough neighborhoods, with his alcoholic father and his mother as well as siblings. I will say at the outset that I feel his mother is one in name only and despite Danny's issues, he is of better character! I can't fathom how ANY mother could turn her child away when they are sleeping in the freezing cold. Or would take her son's entire paycheck except for five dollars once he starts working. Or would make her son pay her as if she were running a hotel just to stay overnight on occasions when she was in an agreeable mood. Between the two parents, I am not at all surprised Danny struggles with addiction issues and feels like no one cares in his family except his Uncle Eddie. Without Eddie I think he would perhaps never have gotten sober.
The book describes a lot of hard living -- getting into legal trouble, starting to drink at age 5, ending up in prison, married and divorced and fatherhood, bouncing from bar to bar, job to job, spending what is earned mostly on beer and booze, homeless and sleeping in ravines, beat up old cars, in cheap motels etc.
It goes into Danny's early marriage and divorce, his dating, second and finally his third marriage. The birth of his son and later his daughter Gloria, discusses his attempts at rehab and sobriety, using rehab at times for a place to sleep before finally taking it seriously before addiction kills him and he loses his little girl permanently.
The author G. Daniel Cole, writes with a candor that is rather rare for someone in the throes of addiction. He makes the reader feel like a friend and in turn you become invested emotionally in these characters and the challenges they face as well as the grace with which they're handled.
For those readers familiar with my reviews, I think most would agree that I try to be fair and honest. I recognize that not every book we read is going to resonate with us, hold our attention, have perfect editing, and not every book out there makes the New York Times Best Sellers list. You might recall that here and there I will comment that I wish there were half stars in the rating system also because I had a hard time deciding whether a book was an average 3 stars, or superior which I envision as 4 stars. But sometimes it's a tough decision. Maybe you love the writing style, and honesty but you dislike the ending and the slow beginning so in cases where you think something surpasses average but you're not sure it is a whole star better, a half star would feel more accurate. That was my dilemma to some extent here. I really like the author's writing as it is so open and honest. I like that the book doesn't take the Lord's name in vain and isn't inappropriate with excessive swearing or sex but I didn't care for simple spelling mistakes that are easy to catch but either weren't or just weren't corrected.
This book tells the story of a little boy named George but is called by one of his middle names, Daniel or Danny throughout. Dan lives with his family in rough neighborhoods, with his alcoholic father and his mother as well as siblings. I will say at the outset that I feel his mother is one in name only and despite Danny's issues, he is of better character! I can't fathom how ANY mother could turn her child away when they are sleeping in the freezing cold. Or would take her son's entire paycheck except for five dollars once he starts working. Or would make her son pay her as if she were running a hotel just to stay overnight on occasions when she was in an agreeable mood. Between the two parents, I am not at all surprised Danny struggles with addiction issues and feels like no one cares in his family except his Uncle Eddie. Without Eddie I think he would perhaps never have gotten sober.
The book describes a lot of hard living -- getting into legal trouble, starting to drink at age 5, ending up in prison, married and divorced and fatherhood, bouncing from bar to bar, job to job, spending what is earned mostly on beer and booze, homeless and sleeping in ravines, beat up old cars, in cheap motels etc.
It goes into Danny's early marriage and divorce, his dating, second and finally his third marriage. The birth of his son and later his daughter Gloria, discusses his attempts at rehab and sobriety, using rehab at times for a place to sleep before finally taking it seriously before addiction kills him and he loses his little girl permanently.
The author G. Daniel Cole, writes with a candor that is rather rare for someone in the throes of addiction. He makes the reader feel like a friend and in turn you become invested emotionally in these characters and the challenges they face as well as the grace with which they're handled.
April 9, 2013
My only real complaint about this book (because I'm kind of OCD) is that the editing is horrid. The punctuation and some spelling is just terrible. But the story is a great read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews