Synopsis
At the Back Door is the second book ofpoetry by Thom Cherney written to raiseawareness and much-needed financialsupport for Providence House to fightthe ever-growing problem of domesticviolence and child maltreatment in NewJersey. Providence House stands as thebulwark against the ever-rising tide ofdomestic violence and child abuse inOcean County.This manuscript includes poetry byThom and an excerpt from "Lost in theMiddle of Nowhere," an upcoming noveldealing with the ever-increasing problemof child abuse and maltreatment in our country.Family violence and child maltreatment have grown to epidemicproportions over the past ten years mainly because of a system that isunderfunded, understaffed, and overwhelmed. This past year alone anestimated 772,000 children were determined to be victims of abuseand neglect with an estimated 1,740 fatalities.Also in At the Back Door are poems written by Matthew DeRiggi,an English teacher in the Toms River school system. Matthew also hadseveral of his writings published in the literary magazine Polaris.Three students from the Toms River schools, Raquel Carerro-Schmidt,Conor Odell, and Justin Schaff, have also made contributions.Raquel Carerro-Schmidt is a sixth-grade student at IntermediateNorth; Conor Odell and Justin Schaff are fifth-grade students at NorthDover Elementary School. Raquel, Conor, and Justin all share thejoy of writing and were members of the Poets' Club at North DoverElementary.We wish joy, peace, and happiness to all.
About the Author
Thom Cherney has worked as a Corrections Officer for the State of New Jersey, a Municipal Police Officer, and National Sales Manager for a Baltimore based chemical manufacturer and his current position as a Janitor at an elementary school in Toms River, New Jersey. While serving as a Corrections Officer Thom worked to help lay the ground work for the "Scared Straight Program" at Rahway State Prison. As a Police Officer he created one of the first effective "Cop in the School Programs" in New Jersey. Thom Cherney knew the sting of a dysfunctional family life. Abandoned by his abusive father and abused mother and raised by caring but alcoholic grandparents. At a very young age he felt that his fate was sealed, that he would in fact grow up to be nothing, as his father on many occasions had told him. My granddaughters, Nichol and Sammantha are both beautiful and wise beyond their years. Nichol is a gifted writer with rare insight to life's other side; her beautiful words are penned in three poignant "untitled" poems within this manuscript. Sammantha is a talented artist that marches to the beat of a different drummer; she has the ability to make a painting a work of art, her contributions to this manuscript makes it come alive. We wish joy, peace and happiness to all. Thom, Nichol and Sammantha
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