Every Grain of Sand by Davied P. Wichman
David P. Wichman is an expert when it comes to surviving. Time and time again he picked the safer of two options — leaving his abusive stepfather for foster care; stealing a car to get out of town and escape his circumstances; hustling on the streets to make a little bit of money; committing crimes of the regular and white collar variety till he finally got caught.
Each of these moments alone could have been a wake-up call, but like so many trapped in the cycle of addiction, Wichman couldn’t picture a life without using. And with using came hustling and the illicit world of meth, prostitution, alcoholism and fraud.
In his memoir, Every Grain of Sand (W. Brand Publishing), Wichman tells his story. It’s the story of a young man tormented by memories of molestation at the hands of a mentor and religious figure whom he respected.
It’s the story of the loss of faith and innocence, the normalization of abuse in a family unit, the creation of new families in communities such as food kitchens, detox centers and even county jail. From young adulthood to his thirtieth birthday, Wichman befriends outcasts and misfits throughout San Francisco and recalls each one who transformed his life, sometimes for better but often for worse.
This is a heartbreaking, hard-to-read memoir that doesn’t shy away from the brutal realities of addiction and sex work at the height of the AIDS crisis. On the other hand, it’s an inspiring tale of growing up, learning one’s identity and defeating the monster that is addiction. Only through blood, sweat and tears did Wichman manage to kick the drinking and the drugs, stop blaming himself for the abuse that he faced as a child and accept that he deserves love.
Wichman also embarks on a spiritual journey in this memoir. As far as spiritual journeys go, this is one that anybody can get behind since it’s secular in nature and pieced together from a number of sources — Wichman’s study of spirituality has put him in contact with both Shambhala and Marianne Williamson, who you might remember from the debate stage.
Every Grain of Sand is a sobering look at rock bottom and the climb back from the brink. This honest, nonjudgmental take on difficult topics like poverty, racism and attitudes towards marginalized groups like sex workers and gay men is the perfect time capsule of an era in Wichman’s life and in the LGBT history of San Francisco.
For more about Wichman, visit his BookTrib author profile.
