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.