Without Restraint, Robert C. DeLena
Without Restraint, Robert C. DeLena
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Without Restraint
How Skiing Saved My Son's Life

Author: Robert C. DeLena, Ryan C. DeLena

Narrator: Tim Getman, Alex Boyles

Unabridged: 9 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/11/2023


Synopsis

As a child Ryan DeLena had difficulty controlling his emotional outbursts. This led to placement in therapeutic schools that relied on detrimental methods of behavior modification such as physical restraints.Nothing helped from a team of doctors to heavy medication. Then in 2010, Ryan was voluntarily committed to a mental hospital for further evaluation. His parents Rob and Mary Beth were counseled to place him in a group home. They refused.Two years earlier, after an impulsive decision Rob had made to take Ryan skiing, he discovered a different child than the version experts were so sure about. By his second day of skiing, Ryan was executing advanced runs, and with each conquest in the winters that followed, Rob began to question the path laid for his son by the professionals paid to judge him. He later convinced Mary Beth to fight the medical and educational complexes over Ryan’s care and school placement, and together they fostered the freedom Ryan needed to pursue his dream of becoming a professional ski mountaineer.Written in two voices, Without Restraint is a joint father-son memoir told with both pain and levity, struggle and strength, adventure and heart. It is the story of a misunderstood boy, a father’s growth, and a shared love of the outdoors that formed their unbreakable bond.

About Robert C. DeLena

Robert DeLena was raised in Revere, Massachusetts, and is a graduate of The Governor’s Academy, Trinity College, and Northeastern University School of Law. Rob lives in Sudbury, Massachusetts, with his wife, Mary Beth, and their daughter, Abigail. He travels and skis with the friends he’s made during his journey from beginner to reluctant adventurer.

About Ryan C. DeLena

Ryan DeLena is currently studying at Northern Vermont University. He was pictured on the cover of Backcountry Ski Maps (2020) and has climbed and skied throughout the United States and in Canada, Chile, Argentina, Svalbard, and Antarctica. Ryan is also a skilled rock climber and avid hiker.

About Alex Boyles

Alex Boyles has been acting pretty much his entire life. He got his BA in theater–acting/directing performance from CSU Long Beach and his MFA in acting performance from Ohio State University. He started narrating audiobooks in 2019 and hasn’t looked back!


Reviews

Goodreads review by Hannah

Without Restraint deserves its place on your bookshelf along with the rest of the autobiographies of climbers and skiers born and raised in the heart of the Northeast. This book was written in a way that every reader can enjoy, filled with witty jokes from Rob, inspiration from Ryan, and many tear-j......more

Goodreads review by Tyler

Without Restraint offers a unique story of family and connections to nature. They tell of struggles growing up in the Northeast of the United States. Robert DeLena and his son, Ryan, need to overcome family and health issues. With two perspectives telling the story, they share their interviews with......more

Goodreads review by Suzy

I just finished this wonderful book. Read it. It’s unflinching and raw and inspirational, as a lover of skiing, a parent and teacher of kids with challenges, it hit home. My two personal mantras are woven in its messages: “Don’t underestimate the power of finding something you love” and “Fortune fav......more

Goodreads review by Abhinav

Unrestrained Resilience: “Without Restraint” is a touching memoir co-authored by father and son, Rob and Ryan DeLena. Ryan, a child with emotional outbursts, was placed in therapeutic schools with harmful behaviour modification techniques. After years of no progress, Ryan was evaluated and suggested......more