The Longer Road
A Story of Family, Shame, and Recovery
Author(s): Eric Kwasi Elliason
Publisher: AARAI Publications
Publication Date: 15/08/2026
Edition: 1
ISBN: 978 – 9988 – 9708 – 2 – 6
About the Book
Book Description
The Longer Road: A Story of Family, Shame, and Recovery
Some journeys begin with a single moment that changes everything.
The Longer Road is a powerful and deeply moving story about family, struggle, silence, and the courage to find a way back. Through the life of Kojo, a young boy growing up in Ghana, readers enter a world where love and pain exist side by side, where family bonds are tested, and where hidden struggles slowly shape the lives of everyone inside the home.
When hardship enters Kojo’s family, the world he once knew begins to change. A father who was once a source of strength begins to lose his way. A mother carries the weight of keeping the family together. A child learns the painful language of silence, shame, and responsibility far beyond his years.
But this is not only a story about suffering. It is a story about resilience.
As Kojo walks through disappointment, fear, and uncertainty, he discovers that healing does not happen through hiding pain. It begins when people find the courage to speak, when families choose understanding over judgment, and when compassionate hands reach out during the darkest moments.
The Longer Road explores the realities of addiction, family struggles, emotional wounds, and the lasting effects of unspoken pain. It also reveals the strength found in forgiveness, support, friendship, and the belief that people can change.
This is a story for anyone who has carried a burden in silence, anyone who has watched someone they love struggle, and anyone who has wondered whether a broken family can find its way back.
Because recovery is not a straight path. Healing takes time. The road may be long, but every honest step forward brings us closer to hope.
A touching reminder that our hardest chapters do not have to become our final ones.
The Longer Road is a story of survival, healing, and the power of finding your voice.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgment
Preface
Prologue
Chapter 1: The Day My World Changed
Chapter 2: Childhood Echoes
Chapter 3: Secrets Behind Closed Doors
Chapter 4: The First Escape
Chapter 5: When Pain Found a Name
Chapter 6: Family Ties, Family Tears
Chapter 7: Schoolyard Shadows
Chapter 8: The Mask I Wore
Chapter 9: Into the Spiral
Chapter 10: Friends or Foes
Chapter 11: The Name They Gave Us
Chapter 12: Losing Myself
Chapter 13: The Breaking Point
Chapter 14: A Cry for Help
Chapter 15: Meeting the Healers
Chapter 16: Stories Like Mine
Chapter 17: Facing My Past
Chapter 18: Learning to Trust Again
Chapter 19: Family Broken, Mending
Chapter 20: The Roadblocks
Chapter 21: Tiny Victories
Chapter 22: Relapse and Redemption
Chapter 23: Finding My Voice
Chapter 24: Giving Back
Chapter 25: Living in the Light
Epilogue: The Light We Carry
About the Author
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Keywords
Family and recovery, Addiction and alcoholism, Childhood trauma, Shame and stigma, Resilience and healing, Family relationships, Hope and personal growth