cover image The Tank Man’s Son

The Tank Man’s Son

Mark Bouman. Tyndale, $15.99 trade paper (366p) ISBN SBN 978-1-4143-9027-7

In a memoir as weighty, heartbreaking, and shocking as Pat Conroy’s The Great Santini, Bouman opens up about his childhood of being abused by his maniacal father in central Michigan. The book’s opening line suggests a dark tale ahead: “What did it mean to be the Tank Man’s son? It was as if Mark Bouman didn’t exist—as if I were simply another object for my father to crush.” And the opening scene shows Bouman’s father crushing a tree with his tank on their secluded property. Obsessed with the tools of war and possessing all the maturity of a boy playing with models, Bouman’s father abuses his children while the mother supports the family financially. The story progresses chillingly from Bouman’s childhood until the moment in his teens when his older brother coordinates a risky getaway plan. Redemptive turning points in the book are jolting and often disorienting. When Bouman realizes how his abusive childhood prepared him for a difficult missionary job later in life (which serves as this book’s religious/spiritual element), there are only a few thin pages for readers to come to terms with this abrupt turn. Bizarre and unpredictable, Bouman’s memoir transcends the normal tropes of the redemption tale and becomes a testament to the power of human fortitude and forgiveness. (July)