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Howard Carpendale’s New Memoir Reveals Abuse, Addiction and Recovery

Published weeks before his 80th birthday, the book presents an unvarnished self-portrait drawn from his own account.

Overview

  • Carpendale’s autobiography, titled “Unerwartet,” was released and widely reported on November 26, bringing long-private struggles into public view.
  • He writes that a family acquaintance known as Archie sexually abused him when he was ten, describing multiple incidents that his parents struggled to address.
  • He details a spiral of depression, money losses and online poker gambling, and says his son Wayne brought him to a clinic in Germany where he recovered.
  • The memoir recounts partner Donnice’s alcohol addiction, his denunciation of “King Alcohol,” her later sobriety, and their marriage in 2018.
  • He reflects on growing up under apartheid in South Africa, recalling military orders to confront mostly Black protesters and concluding that racism is a “evil seed.”