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This memoir offers readers a deeply personal account of Tate Barkley’s dysfunctional childhood, from the backwoods of North Carolina to his family’s struggles with poverty in Central Florida and their ultimate move to the boomtown of 1970s Houston, Texas.
As a child, his grandmother’s house was a sanctuary where he felt loved—and her big Sunday dinners nourished his stomach and his soul. His life changed when he discovered that the man he thought was his stepfather was actually his biological father. Tate craved his attention when he was charming and optimistic, but grew to loathe him as he would often disappear for months at a time, bringing shame on the family left to fend for themselves.
As a teen, Tate began drinking as he struggled to repress his sexuality. Ironically, his father, who was an alcoholic, became his best drinking buddy, and Tate finally found the connection he had been searching for. Alcohol gave Tate a sense of calm, much like the Sunday dinners of his childhood. But he continued hiding his sexuality and drinking to avoid his shame. It took hitting rock bottom for him to seek out help and enter recovery.
Tate Barkley’s story of resilience and self-acceptance will resonate with readers as they follow his quest to accept himself and find the promise of serenity sobriety brings.
“Even as an openly gay man, five years sober and able at last to establish and protect healthy relationships, Barkley still faces a daunting challenge: coming out to his father, “larger than life, formidable, and bulletproof,” who once ran moonshine and had long been Barkley’s favorite drinking buddy. The memoir alternates between the coming-of-age-narrative and Barkley going to see his father in the hospital after a heart attack. Barkley builds to this encounter with grace and power but telling his story in a voice so conversational you can almost hear the accent. This is a gripping, touching read.”
-BookLife Reviews
“After meeting the author, I pre-ordered the book and was happy to find that the stories I had already heard were only the beginning. Tate is a wonderful story teller, and the way the action moves between recent history and childhood weaves a wonderful arc from a childhood where “success” by our definition could seem impossible to an inspiring recovery and empowered present.
Relatable to many audiences, from small towns or the deep south, growing up in a tumultuous era to recognizing that our cultural changes are both lightning quick and painfully slow, this book is a portrait honoring the process of coming of age and embracing all the parts of yourself.”
-Susi Vine, Host, Happified Podcast
The way we approach critical decisions and the choices we make, in both our business and personal lives, can forever change the course of our lives, the lives of the people around us and often the lives of countless others of which we are not even aware. Successful Ethical Decision Making: Get What You Want Without Getting in Trouble, introduces a time-tested protocol for making decisions that ensures that the most ethical choice will be found.
Written as a step-by-step guide, the book seeks to teach the readers how to tap into their own personal ethical beliefs when making decisions and simplifies the concept of the fiduciary relationship, and the duties of loyalty, obedience and care, to make them applicable to readers no matter what their situation.
Optimism and humor pervade the text making it a quick and informative read. It is a concise guidebook for anyone seeking to make more effective decisions and reach their true potential in life.
“People of all ages, in any business or profession, can apply Barkley’s protocol to an ethical dilemma and be assured of a thoughtful and deliberate
decision making process.”
-Rebecca K. Sampson, Retention Manager
“Everyone wants to make big decisions with confidence. Now, Michael Tate Barkley’s book gives you a simple, yet effective, step-by-step process to help you solve problems, make decisions, and be more successful in life.”
– Greg L. Barta, Director, Corporate Accounting, Mirant Corporation
