NEWS RELEASE
PUBLIC INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
PO Box 567, Buies Creek, NC 27506
Tel: (910) 893-1224 w Fax: (910) 893-1922
Student Publishes First Book
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Dylan Stevens |
A disturbing tale of abuse has become the first book
published by Campbell University student Dylan Stevens. Wooded
Sanctuary, a memoir describing Stevens’ struggle to survive an
abusive childhood, was published by online publisher iUniverse and
will soon be available at Barnes and Noble and other major
bookstores, and over 25,000 bookstores online.
The son of a prominent minister, no one, not even his own
family, believed Stevens’ cries for help from the abuse inflicted upon him by
his father. "The lie was so intertwined with my family. They had internalized
it and were determined to protect my father at all costs," he said.
When Stevens attempts to run away, his father forces him to
live in an outdoor shed for several days. When he is inattentive in church, he
is beaten repeatedly, his back protected from visible bruising by a telephone
book.
Finally at 15, Stevens is able to escape for good and lives in
the woods for 18 months, surviving on his own resourcefulness. While living on
the streets or staying with friends, he is able to attend junior college,
working at numerous odd jobs to support himself, including a stint as an actor
in the outdoor drama, "The Lost Colony."
"I really had not had a house or my own bed to sleep in until
I came to Campbell," said Stevens, who earned several scholarships to the
university. "But I would rather be thought of as a survivor rather than a
victim of abuse. I want people to look at my story and say, ‘This is me. This
is how I survived.’ I want them to take what they can get out of it and go
with it."
A senior majoring in government and history as well as public
relations, Stevens is also a former editor and current writer for the
Campbell Times. He would eventually like to attend Campbell’s Norman
Adrian Wiggins School of Law and work in the juvenile court system prosecuting
child abusers.
Although Stevens admits that it was God’s hand that guided him
during his odyssey in the woods, he didn’t want to acknowledge it at the time.
"I didn’t want to let my father win," he said. "When you’re alone on the
streets and it’s lightning and thundering, you want to blame someone. It’s
sort of like the trials of Job; you have to go through the bad stuff in order
to appreciate the good things."
Fortunately, Stevens isn’t worried that he might become an
abuser himself, a problem from which victims of abuse frequently suffer.
Writing the book has been cathartic for him. "I have dealt with the issues of
what my father did to me," he said. "I have not tried to hide it or keep it
inside like many victims do and then pass it down. That part of my life is
over. It’s time to move on. That’s why the last chapter of the book is called
‘New Beginnings.’"
Jason Davis, an adjunct professor of English at Campbell,
served as editor of Stevens’ book.
Founded in 1887, Campbell University is North Carolina’s
second largest private institution of higher education and the second largest
Baptist university in the world. Located in Buies Creek, NC, just east of the
center of the state, Campbell combines academic excellence and Christian
commitment.
Bulletin 0045 |
