The Cards I Was Dealt The Hand That I Played : The Life Of Jc Riley

This is the story of Joel Christopher Riley. He was one of seven children who was taken away from his mother as a child and lived in five foster homes. He lived through abuse and neglect, became a father, joined the Marines, fought in Iraq, was other than honorably discharged and suffers from Post -Traumatic Stress Disorder. His unusual life is filled with struggles, bad behavior, triumphs, and humorous, sad and traumatic events. He and his mother, Holly O'Connor, wrote the book together. They want readers to understand the severe disadvantages that some children have growing up and help give hope to those in similar difficult situations. Joel was taken away from his drug addicted mother at the age of two. He came to live with the O'Connors when he was 13, after he had been in four different foster homes. He was a mess and terribly difficult to deal with. Joel could not believe someone would take him in, love him and really care about him. He did not trust anybody and would not let anyone into his world to help him. He put up a wall and refused to listen. The family stuck together because of the amazing strength and values of his father, Paul O'Connor who has strong religious convictions and a never give up attitude. The family grew tremendously with the experience of living together and becoming a real family. They learned how to love, care, understand and forgive under some of the most difficult circumstances and wanted share some of their experiences with the readers.

Author: Joel Riley, Holly O'Connor

Publisher: Independently Published

Publication Date: May 25, 2018

Number of Pages: 215 pages

Language: English

Binding: Paperback

ISBN-10: 1980899436

ISBN-13: 9781980899433