My sexual abuse, for all its devastation and debilitating force, put me on a path of self-discovery and self-acceptance.

When the hateful words of his parents brought him to the edge of ending his life, Alexandru heard a voice that completely changed his existence. What happened next, leaving Romania to move to the Netherlands and later on, to Australia, was something he could have never anticipated.

It is difficult to know where my same-sex attraction began. Was it the moment Cezar raped me? Or did it start even before I drew my first breath?

Embarking on a journey to understand how to marry his sexuality to his faith, Alexandru thought that his identity lay in finding the right person to live with for the rest of his life. Stretched from one relationship to another, one day he finds a man who will teach him that his selfhood resides in the love of his heavenly Father.

Son of the Cornfield exposes a childhood formed by abuse, loneliness, and faith. Alexandru writes his story raw, bare, and in the most vulnerable way possible, hoping that it will inspire anyone who is on a journey of self-acceptance. This is the work of a man who has found his true identity.

'Tragedy' is when something grossly unfair happens; 'triumph' is when something heroic overcomes. This book - this author - triumphs. Alexandru Lupu's memoir is intensely naked and vulnerable, as he invites the reader to truly know him. 'Son of the Cornfield' is a journey - across decades, countries, loves, and sexual identities - and the journey's end is still to be discovered.

-MIKE ROSEBUSH

From whatever walk of life you've come from, the extraordinary life revealed between these pages will find you at some of the most unprece- dented cultural crossroads of our day. Enigmatic and effortlessly charming, Alexandru Lupu's story will keep you guessing, reassessing the narrative

of our own soul, and perhaps find an unwavering purpose found in the fragility of life.

-JOHN CHEN

A boy is born in Romania and his solace is found in the cornfields. In his childhood, he experiences pain and abuse and if not for the intervention of a loving God, his life would have ended without a step out of his home village. Instead, Alex began a journey of education, self-discovery and more importantly, a slow and steady growing of his faith. This journey took him far from his home, to the Netherlands, to Belgium and then across the world to Australia. He writes candidly about his encounters with men, from the rape of his childhood, to his search for love as he travels from one country to the next.

-SHIRLEY BASKETT

Upon receiving the manuscript unexpectedly, I read it in a single haul. Alex's autobiographical narration is so personal and painfully honest, that it rendered me, as a reader, uncomfortable. While aiming to find peace with himself, Alex disturbed my peace and has engraved his scars onto my heart permanently.

-JELLE CREEMERS

This book you hold in your hands is a treasure as rare as diamonds. Alex Lupu fearlessly shares his journey of growth through rejection, pain and abuse toward wholeness and Christlikeness. I pray his riveting story will move and challenge you as deeply as it did me.

-ROB EDWARDS

A wonderful portrait of God's love and redemption in the messiness of life. This memoir about finding one's self-identity and purpose. Alexandru Lupu writes with vulnerability which captivates the reader with marvellous storytelling.

-ROGER SANDRE