A Rock and a Hard Place: One Boy's Triumphant Story - One Boy's Triumphant Story (1993) Book Details Author Anthony Godby Johnson Genre Biography, Autobiography, Memoirs Publication Date 1993 Format Hardcover Publisher Crown Publishing Group Plot At age fourteen, Tony Johnson has lived through more hell - and held on to more hope - than most adults can even imagine. A Rock and a Hard Place is his powerful and eloquent story of how one boy grew up abused, made school and New York's mean streets a refuge, got rescued by people who could really love him - and ultimately had to face an AIDS diagnosis. This is a remarkable human testament. This is a story of how love can triumph. Born to seemingly normal parents, Tony Johnson was not allowed a bed, a winter coat, or even a toothbrush. His parents beat him regularly and severely. They actively encouraged others to abuse their son sexually. Still, Tony held out the hope for a "someday." He found the antidote to his home life in school; he was a brilliant student. No one knew his secret except his best friend, David. Together they could escape the nightmares at home, sometimes sleeping all night on the subway, taking turns keeping watch over each other. And between them they could create their own solace on a solitary Christmas. At last, age eleven, in suicidal despair, Tony called a national hotline - and found his rescuers: a retired military officer and a young woman social worker. They fell in love at Tony's hospital bedside, married - and adopted Tony. Tony Johnson could at last live his "someday" - from roller coaster rides to birthday parties to a real family Christmas. Even as he recovered from a stroke, he got his high school diploma. Then he was diagnosed with AIDS. With the help of his loving parents, a dedicated doctor, and the care of the counselor he came to call "Dad," Tony fought back against callous medical people, social ostracism, and his own fears. With the help of his Dad, Tony could create his own everyday joys and a sustaining "purple light" that keep him living in his someday. "Every night around midnight," Tony Johnson writes, "I hear the grate go up as the saloon down the street opens. A short while after that, garbage trucks pass and Personal Details In Collection Yes URL This book on the Internet Index 7 Read It Yes Product Details ISBN 051759501X Edition 1st ed. Cover Price $20.00 Nr of Pages 213 First Edition No Rare No