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SYNOPSIS: “The Moose's
Children: Memoir of Betrayal, Death and
Survival ”
by David M. Mokotoff, M.D.
All they ever wanted, all they still want, is an apology. Abused
as children at the hands of an alcoholic stepfather, the perpetrator
escaped justice. If the crimes could just be validated, then perhaps
their nightmares might end.
Victor Morgan, between 1968 and 1974,
sexually abused my ex-wife, Tina Ackerson, along with four sisters,
and one brother. Although child molestation is all too common,
what makes this family’s story unusual is the bi-gender nature
of the crimes, and the number of siblings affected. After years
of alcohol abuse, Tina died on January 8, 2004, preceded three days
before by the death of her abused younger brother, Bobbie, of a
drug overdose.
Most memoirs of abusive childhood
or rape are written from the victim’s perspective. Since both
victims are now dead, the burden of telling this story, as well
as why the perpetrator was never punished, falls upon me. This point
of view is unique, and I have been able to write this gruesome account
with the help of the surviving sisters.
Part One details how after falling
in love, I only then began to hear the horrific details of my wife’s
past. Her battle with alcohol, and how it shattered our world, and
that of our young daughter, is interwoven with flashbacks to her
shocking childhood.
Part Two outlines personal interviews
with all the surviving sisters, who with pain and candor recall
their physical and sexual traumas, and how it was concealed for
decades. The ultimate police investigation and failed prosecution
are explored in depth, mixed with personal vignettes of the blended
family.
As often as possible, I have let the
powerful words of the victims speak for themselves. Jodi, who would
file a formal complaint in 2008, said the following:
“He would ask me to come into
his room and scratch his back, and then he’d make me touch
him, while he was naked, on his penis.” She picked up her
right hand, stared at it and said, “If I could cut off this
hand, I would. “
And it wasn’t just sexual abuse.
Janey, another sister remembers other events.
“Mom and Vic fought a lot. I
remember seeing marks and bruises on her. One day my mom and I were
sitting on the porch and he came out with a shotgun, and hit her
in the side of the head with it.”
THE MOOSE’S CHILDREN not
only describes the horrors of childhood sexual abuse, but offers
comfort and affirmation to anyone who has been sexually abused as
a child, or is married to one of its victims.
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