Alaskan Rough Diamonds

The sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic Church continues to splash across the headlines to this day. In this courageous and unflinching memoir, one of the victims finally finds his voice.

Rick Stanfield speaks out now about his experiences and the unthinkable practices that have allowed centuries of this abuse and created thousands of victims.

As an adolescent in 1960s Anchorage, Alaska, Stanfield fell prey to a charismatic priest.

It took Stanfield years to process and confront this abuse. But this is not just the heartbreaking story of one isolated case. Stanfield uses this memoir to express solidarity with his fellow victims and to transform those scarring experiences into something productive.

He comes forward with his story in order to shine a light on what the Catholic Church has systematically and deliberately sought to cover up.

This is as much Stanfield’s story as it is a condemnation of the largely secret system that protects pedophiles and puts children knowingly in harm’s way.

No child should have to endure what Stanfield experienced, and this brutally honest work is one step toward that goal.

Rick Stanfield graduated from West Anchorage High School and then attended Mesa College in Colorado and the University of Alaska Anchorage.

For over forty years, Stanfield sold office machines and computer-related technology. His work took him and his family from Anchorage, Alaska, to Honolulu, Hawaii; Los Angeles, California; Houston, Texas; and Seattle, WA.

At various points, he worked for Wang Laboratories, Oracle Corporation, and Microsoft.

He and his wife, Carrie, currently live in Seattle, Washington.