Running to stand still: The Compassionate Heart of a Violent Man–a Unique Account of Abuse - Tapa blanda

"An extraordinary tale of a family at war with one another and the bitterness that lurks behind their love. O'Riain, forbidden by his mother to join the Boy Scouts or the reserve national army, eventually puts on the uniform of the Irish Republican Army. Soon the early indications of a psychological split between the 'good' and 'bad' O'Riain, are made manifest. O'Riain must acknowledge the part of himself that is a violent and abusive husband. This is the story of his recovery, of his wife Verne's trust and love and their mutual discovery of the roots of violence and provocation." Metropolis"

"Running to Stand Still" is moving testament to enduring love, the hazards of history, and telling of stories and the power of truth. The story begins in Ireland during the Second World War where O'Riain tells an extraordinary tale of a family at war with one another and the violence that lurks behind their love. O'Riain forbidden by his mother to join the Boy Scouts or the reserve national army eventually puts on a uniform - the irregular uniform of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). A couple of spells in prison a threat from a girlfriend a daring run from the police and eventual capture all combine and the early indications of a psychological split between the 'good' and 'bad' O'Riain are made manifest. These are the threads that take the writer O'Riain himself to he present day and to his search for a way of telling his story and eventually telling the tale of his marriage to his beloved Verne. That begins one day as O'Riain finds himself on a Johannesburg street kicking his wife. He is forced to look at the 'other' O'Riain the one who is a violent and abusive man. This is the story of his recovery of Verne's trust and love and their mutual discovery of the roots of violence.