Sway
- Downloads：7760
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-11 22:21:15
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Matthew John Bocchi
- ISBN：1642938602
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Nancy Byron
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A hard book to read。 Heartbreaking， frustrating at times， but also very very real。
Chrissy | fullybookedweekends
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Sway is a beautiful and incredibly powerful memoir about Matthew John Bocci， who， at the tender age of nine， lost his father on 9/11 and spiraled into a cycle of grief and abuse。 This memoir is a difficult one。 It’s raw and emotional。 A whirlwind of emotions to say the least。 I cried， I got angry， I got even more angry， and by the time the book ended， I wanted to give Matthew the biggest hug。 *sends virtual hug* I found myself rooting so hard for him as if he was my own friend/family member。I’m Sway is a beautiful and incredibly powerful memoir about Matthew John Bocci， who， at the tender age of nine， lost his father on 9/11 and spiraled into a cycle of grief and abuse。 This memoir is a difficult one。 It’s raw and emotional。 A whirlwind of emotions to say the least。 I cried， I got angry， I got even more angry， and by the time the book ended， I wanted to give Matthew the biggest hug。 *sends virtual hug* I found myself rooting so hard for him as if he was my own friend/family member。I’m inspired by Matthew’s strength and willingness to share his story and provide help and encouragement to those trying to overcome their battles。 No matter how far you fall， you can always rise again。Thank you Matthew for gifting me a copy of this book。 I’m honored to have read your story。 **TW: sexual child abuse， alcohol/ drug addiction and abuse。 。。。more
Melissa Mangano
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Wow。 This book is tough to write a review for， because words don’t really seem to do the emotions it evoked any sort of justice。 Having gone to college with Matt， I knew him on the “superficial， party friends” level。 I just assumed I knew him - Kind。 Funny。 Fun。 Matt has always been a great guy。 But from start to finish， this book shows how much depth， heartbreak， turmoil， and strength there really is behind the layers that make people who they are。 The vulnerability shared here is rare。 And hon Wow。 This book is tough to write a review for， because words don’t really seem to do the emotions it evoked any sort of justice。 Having gone to college with Matt， I knew him on the “superficial， party friends” level。 I just assumed I knew him - Kind。 Funny。 Fun。 Matt has always been a great guy。 But from start to finish， this book shows how much depth， heartbreak， turmoil， and strength there really is behind the layers that make people who they are。 The vulnerability shared here is rare。 And honestly beautiful。 I could talk about this book for hours， but just do yourself a favor and read it - whether you know Matt or not。 It left me feeling raw， cracked open， and inspired all at the same time。 It also served as a little reminder that as much as we think we may “know” someone， we truly have no idea what they may be going through。 Be patient。 Be kind。 Be caring。 Be supportive。 Also， if you’re struggling， be open。 Be vulnerable。 Ask for help。 Idk， all the things。 Just read this。 Everyone should。 Matt， if you ever see this - this is amazing。 The world is going to benefit so much from you sharing this。 Damn。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Yes I read this in two hours。 Gutwrenching and I almost cried on the beach twice but if anyone had a reason to use drugs。。。 He's so honest with himself and the reader。 My friend growing up knew the family， his grandparents went to my church and his dad was from my town。 Yes I read this in two hours。 Gutwrenching and I almost cried on the beach twice but if anyone had a reason to use drugs。。。 He's so honest with himself and the reader。 My friend growing up knew the family， his grandparents went to my church and his dad was from my town。 。。。more
Lauren Conover
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I don’t know that I’ve been so glued to a book in all of my life。 This was a tough， but important read。 I found myself rooting so hard for Matt as if he were my own family member。 Him sharing his story with the world is a true gift。
Mannie Ramos Jr。
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As a person who has dealt with a lot of these issues because of my parents addiction this book was amazing。 It’s told in such a way that you do not want to put it down。
Ellison
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About a guy who lost his father in 9/11， his uncle abuses him。 He resorts to self medication and gets through college， while strung out。 Gets a good job， car wrecks， lies， law enforcement involvement， still， he continues。 Quick， easy read， some laughs。 Swearing。
Saumya
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4 starsDisturbing， gloomy and depressing， it talks at length about grief， loss， drugs， addiction and abuse。 Listening to it gave me goosebumps at times。
Diane Virote
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This book was inspiring and heartwarming。 Matthew was dealt a tough hand for any child to bear and he has come out on top。 I wish you all the best， Matthew。
Lizzy
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I'm sorry for his loss and pain and that still doesn't excuse this book from being poorly written。 I'm sorry for his loss and pain and that still doesn't excuse this book from being poorly written。 。。。more
Jyotsna
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The part about digging him out and each time I heard it， I sensed a smidgen of conviction slipping away。 What struck me was the consensus that my father was somewhere beneath all the steel and smoke and throat-choking dust now on the ground。 I didn't think my dad was under all that rubble。 I knew he found a way out before the building fell。 How would he breathe with all that dust and steel covering him？ This beautifully penned memoir is about how the author lost his father in 9/11 and eventuall The part about digging him out and each time I heard it， I sensed a smidgen of conviction slipping away。 What struck me was the consensus that my father was somewhere beneath all the steel and smoke and throat-choking dust now on the ground。 I didn't think my dad was under all that rubble。 I knew he found a way out before the building fell。 How would he breathe with all that dust and steel covering him？ This beautifully penned memoir is about how the author lost his father in 9/11 and eventually spiralled into a cycle of grief and abuse。 The book's themes include drug abuse， sexual abuse and can be pretty graphic at various places。 It's a difficult memoir， because the pain that MJB suffered is real and there was also a person who preyed on this pain， this loss。 The memoir talks about how he dealt with the loss over the period of his lifetime till date。 I really loved the honesty and conviction with which the memoir was written， it's a very raw and a graphic one。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Barbara Q
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Maybe not for everyone， but I couldn’t put it down。
Angela Kubisky
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Emotionally charged。 Raw， honest and incredibly insightful。I read this book in 2 days and I am typically a slow reader。 The pages turned fast because the writer tugged at my heart。 Matt is a brave， resilient， vulnerable person。 I felt so many emotions reading about his dad， uncle's and mom that I had to take a deep breaths at times。 I'm encouraged by his strength and appreciate his need to want to share his story in an effort to provide hope and healing to people trying to overcome adversity。 I Emotionally charged。 Raw， honest and incredibly insightful。I read this book in 2 days and I am typically a slow reader。 The pages turned fast because the writer tugged at my heart。 Matt is a brave， resilient， vulnerable person。 I felt so many emotions reading about his dad， uncle's and mom that I had to take a deep breaths at times。 I'm encouraged by his strength and appreciate his need to want to share his story in an effort to provide hope and healing to people trying to overcome adversity。 I respect this author， his story， and will recommend this book。 God Bless Matthew B。 。。。more
Zibby Owens
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Sway is a beautiful memoir。 This book's crafting is exceptional， all of it—the way the author goes back and forth in time， the language， and the immediacy。 I loved it and couldn't put it down until I had read every single word。This was the first book I have ever read from a child's perspective about losing a parent on 9/11 and its impact on his life。 So many times， I just wanted to reach out and hug the author。 I was impressed by his constant resilience in the face of 9/11， sexual abuse， and dru Sway is a beautiful memoir。 This book's crafting is exceptional， all of it—the way the author goes back and forth in time， the language， and the immediacy。 I loved it and couldn't put it down until I had read every single word。This was the first book I have ever read from a child's perspective about losing a parent on 9/11 and its impact on his life。 So many times， I just wanted to reach out and hug the author。 I was impressed by his constant resilience in the face of 9/11， sexual abuse， and drug addiction。 After losing my best friend on 9/11， I think the only perk， perhaps， of that tragedy is that it caused so many people to find their real purpose。 And I think that's the best ending to any story。To listen to my interview with the author， go to my podcast at: https://zibbyowens。com/transcript/mat。。。 。。。more
Joey Cecala
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A gut wrenching memoir that takes you on a brutally honest trip from tragedy to rock bottom， to redemption。 It was hard to put the book down。 It is written as in a conversational way that pulls you in and keeps you hooked until the end。
Mary
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Like most of us， I've been haunted by 9/11 since it happened and always thought that I could not imagine how it actually must have been for the victims and their families。 This book gives you a small glimpse into what it was like for a young boy to have lost his father in such a horrific and public way。 I applaud Matthew for writing this book and in so doing， facing his demons， voicing publicly his abuse from a trusted adult， making his way through addiction， and fighting for his life every sing Like most of us， I've been haunted by 9/11 since it happened and always thought that I could not imagine how it actually must have been for the victims and their families。 This book gives you a small glimpse into what it was like for a young boy to have lost his father in such a horrific and public way。 I applaud Matthew for writing this book and in so doing， facing his demons， voicing publicly his abuse from a trusted adult， making his way through addiction， and fighting for his life every single day while trying to live without his father。 I must admit yelling at the audio book when his mother continued to throw money at him when he was obviously an addict， but maybe she should write her own book from her perspective because I know her journey must have been another kind of hell。 The writing is not always up to snuff with lots of repetition and missing parts， but that's really not as important as the voicing of his story。 Major kudos to Matt for his recovery and his persistence in getting this published。 Stay well， young man。 I'm sure your dad is so very proud of you。 。。。more
Stephanie Marie
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This was a very powerful book！ So many emotions。 This book proves that the author is a courageous man to share his story。 I do think this book with serve to help others。 I wish Matthew all the best！
Shannen Petersen
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A friend of the author recommended this book to me and I’m so glad he did！ The author and narrator of this book was incredibly courageous in telling his story of loss， trauma， addiction so honestly。 I read this book in audiobook format and I loved being able to （literally） hear his—at times emotional story in his own voice and words。 This is the inspirational， powerful story of one of the many 9/11 victims who lost their parent， sibling， son/daughter。 A vulnerable story of sexual child abuse， an A friend of the author recommended this book to me and I’m so glad he did！ The author and narrator of this book was incredibly courageous in telling his story of loss， trauma， addiction so honestly。 I read this book in audiobook format and I loved being able to （literally） hear his—at times emotional story in his own voice and words。 This is the inspirational， powerful story of one of the many 9/11 victims who lost their parent， sibling， son/daughter。 A vulnerable story of sexual child abuse， and the aftermath resulting in a one too common， relentless alcohol and drug addiction。 An inspirational， beautifully and well written story of love， hope and the will to conquer it all。 。。。more
Jane Meldrum
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Wow！ This is a powerful book and I felt I was on an emotional rollercoaster。 It is a story about his journey through childhood and beyond。 An honest and at times very disturbing recollection of Matthew's journey to find peace。 Wow！ This is a powerful book and I felt I was on an emotional rollercoaster。 It is a story about his journey through childhood and beyond。 An honest and at times very disturbing recollection of Matthew's journey to find peace。 。。。more
Ellie Paparone
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This book was absolutely phenomenal， I couldn’t put it down。 A must-read。 Heart-breaking and spirit-lifting all in one。
Blake Bellucci
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Such an overwhelmingly powerful and incredible story。 I'm lucky to know you， MJB！ Such an overwhelmingly powerful and incredible story。 I'm lucky to know you， MJB！ 。。。more
Mike Krolak
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An awesome listen （Audible） that was a learning experience about the trials and tribulations of those left behind by the 9/11 terror attacks。 Box hi does an outstanding job of tapping into his emotions as he tries to deal with the myriad of issues the attacks left on an impressionable 9 year old。 Truly one of the better memoirs I have ever heard。 Must read！！！
Turney Duff
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A fantastic memoir that captures the troubles of trauma。 Wonderfully written。 Highly recommend。
Tina
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Wow， just wow。I rarely read books on 9/11 because they are so sad， but I am grateful I read this one。Usually， I know way in advance the books that I want to read， but I found a brief summary on a website （don't remember which one） of this memoir and it caught me completely by surprise。 I immediately bought it。Memoirs about addiction and recovery are books that I read。。。。a lot， so I was completely surprised to see how integral both these subject matters were。For me， this books is as much about 9/ Wow， just wow。I rarely read books on 9/11 because they are so sad， but I am grateful I read this one。Usually， I know way in advance the books that I want to read， but I found a brief summary on a website （don't remember which one） of this memoir and it caught me completely by surprise。 I immediately bought it。Memoirs about addiction and recovery are books that I read。。。。a lot， so I was completely surprised to see how integral both these subject matters were。For me， this books is as much about 9/11 as it is about addiction and recovery。 It is also about losing a father， in a violent way 。。。。。。 there one minute and gone the next。I identified with Matthew because I lost my father to a violent car crash when I was 11。 I can understand how he needed closure and how he was willing to go through hell to get it。 I can understand his need to find out everything about that September morning and then finding out a few details directly connected to his dad， while trying to make it all fit in your young brain。I have mentioned this before。。。。addiction is born out of trauma （ IMO） and you can feel and see Matthew spiralling downward。 You can feel his confusion about his sh@@@y uncle and you can see and feel the sadness as he tries to numb himself over and over again。As I read this memoir， I literally felt everything he was feeling。 It is so raw and honest and the writing is solid。I finished this in just a few days and now， I cant get this out of my head。It's amazing， to me， that 9/11 just keeps making more and more victims even after 19 years。More power to you and your family Matthew。And acceptance is the answer to all our problems today。。。。。 。。。more
Maegen Cecchetti
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You won’t be able to put this book down。 A brave， raw story about love， loss， addiction and triumph。 Beautifully written。
Timothy Lennon
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The true victim count of 9/11 may never be known。 Glad the author isn’t one of them。 Sad story with painfully graphic details。 I hope Phil rots in prison
Christin Hanley
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This book is written by my childhood next door neighbor whose father died on 9/11。 I remember it as vividly now as I did 19 years ago。 Matt’s memoir is powerful and real。 I remember his drawings he described when we took him out for dinner after 9/11。 I am so grateful that Matt has overcome all of the things he has and know his dad is smiling down and flying around protecting him every day。 Love you Matt！！！
Debbie
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A raw and vulnerable story！
Dorothy Boyle
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I could not put this book down。 This is a heartbreaking story and the first one written by a child who lost someone in 9/11。 Matthew gives a heart wrenching account of his thoughts and trials but ultimately the story provides great inspiration。 Definitely a must read！！
Tim
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