Hell of a Time: New Memoir Depicts Struggle to Overcome Influence of Dysfunctional Family

For Karl "Buz" Schulz, the hardships of growing up in the Great Depression were made worse by a dysfunctional family life dominated by a crass, uncaring stepfather and a frequently intoxicated, detached mother. In his new memoir, "Overcoming George" (published by AuthorHouse), Schulz recounts the difficulties he endured on the way to becoming his own man.

Conveying an atmosphere of crippling stress, psychological and verbal abuse and physical exploitation, "Overcoming George" portrays an unhappy, broken family that Schulz struggles to survive and escape from. He develops interests outside the family and finds stability in relationships with friends and animals. At night he sleeps in the barn with his cats and dogs. All of these things provide a welcome distraction, but they are poor defense against the controlling influence of George, his stepfather, who never misses a chance to criticize. "Why don't you use your goddamned head for something else besides putt'n your hat on?" George chides.

"He was a womanizer, usually unhappy and seemed to be obsessed with sex," Schulz writes. "[He] drank and swore too much and was not affectionate."

Schulz is used as George's personal slave, forced to work on hard and sometimes dangerous jobs such as building walls, fences and houses. Cutting up a eucalyptus tree proves to be especially traumatizing. "I just hoped that my arms held out so that I would not drop the whirling buzz saw and cause it to shatter."

Unfortunately, his mother is no solace. "I would search the house for mom's bottles of wine," Schulz writes. "When I found one, I poured her precious fluid down the drain. She always drank from the bottle."

Between the parents there is no guidance, only the constant erosion of a son's self-esteem. But home wasn't the only place with problems, as Schulz sometimes found himself in other predicaments. "When my car hit the moving train, I was ejected and as I rolled through the weeds I said to myself 'you're dead, Buz.'"

He later joined the Navy, earned a master's degree in industrial education and went on to become a teacher. "I am so lucky," he writes. "I have good health, a great wife and kids, many friends, financial security, and above all, I was able to overcome George."

"Overcoming George," Schulz's first book, contains 36 photographs and illustrations. Schulz grew up in El Monte, Calif., and now lives with his wife, Jo An, in Homosassa, Fla. He was a shop teacher for 23 years.