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by Michael Caven (Author), Jonathan Maldonado (Cover Design by)
Capable of Betrayal is a memoir about revisiting our past, especially the dark parts, to create a brighter future; Michael Caven's journey begins with the arrival of an unsettling shipment from his former high school mentor-thrusting Michael back into the shadows of my adolescence, compelling him to revisit buried traumas, turbulent family dynamics, and a life spiraling through addiction and identity crises-on a quest for redemption, justice, and peace.
Dallas, 1989. Michael's life is upended with an unexpected package of Polaroids from Larry Lane Bateman, once a trusted teacher at the renowned Phillips Exeter Academy who exploited my innocence as a sixteen-year-old. The photos resurrect memories Michael has struggled to suppress: Growing up in a household filled with dysfunction, addiction, and hidden abuses, his adolescence is marked by confusion and shame, setting the stage for a self-destructive adulthood.
As a young man navigating New York's nightlife and Dallas's turbulent social scene, Michael Caven seeks escape in glittering but hollow pleasures, encountering figures like Steve Rubell, co-founder of Studio 54 and legend Andy Warhol, who illuminate paths toward self-awareness. Yet unresolved pain lies beneath the glamorous exterior, fueling an endless search for validation and belonging-until Michael breaks the cycle and fight for accountability through a complex legal battle against Bateman.
By confronting his perpetrator, Michael begins a profound journey of healing, revealing how forgiveness and compassion-especially toward oneself-can pave the way for genuine recovery. Capable of Betrayal invites readers into a candid, emotionally charged exploration of resilience, transformation, and the profound strength found in sharing one's truth, proving that acknowledging wounds leads to personal power.
Michael Caven's memoir offers a fresh and unflinching portrayal of childhood trauma, family dysfunction, addiction, and a journey toward healing. The book transports readers through extraordinary swings from poverty to luxury and back again, gritty realities of hustling in Manhattan and suburban hell of Long Island, adventures in a Texas gay bar empire with my father-by-adult-adoption Frank Caven, the founding of the first LGBTQ-themed restaurant in the United States, a groundbreaking courtroom drama, and a spiritual reckoning deep within the Amazon jungle.
"This I can assert joyously: Life can improve after abuse. The challenge for the male survivor is to find and accept the compassion they deserve, even if it is missing from those who might be expected to step forward. And for everybody else, there's an obligation: to explore our own thinking, until we can fully accept the reality of male sexual abuse and deal with its consequences."
