Chicken Soup Previews "Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul"

The editors at Chicken Soup are previewing their new book "Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul". Compiled from various stories submitted by fans of American Idol, the book will hit bookshelves soon.

In a press release (PDF format), the published released this great story about Clay:

The Turn of a Page

My four-year-old son cuddled closer to me. It was afternoon nap time, and he had asked me to lie with him as he fell asleep. He always wanted me to be close while he slept. I was tired too. My husband’s random tirade the night before had made sleeping in that house impossible once again.

I had learned long ago that the only way to survive was to become invisible. I had learned to hide my real self away so that my husband’s angry words and actions no longer hurt me. After a while, I became invisible even to myself.

My son drifted off quickly. He hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before either. As his soft breath became even and I knew he was deep in the cherished peace of slumber, I saw a rare opportunity to temporarily bring myself out of the shadows.

I retrieved Clay Aiken’s autobiography from the bottom of a drawer where I had carefully hidden it. My husband had told me that I wasn’t allowed to read Clay’s book. He hadn’t given me a reason, but the less of a reason he had, the louder he yelled, and I knew not to argue.

As I opened the book, a wave of relief washed over me. I wasn’t completely invisible just yet. There was still a spark that gave me the confidence to defy orders—if only for a few precious moments. I sighed in silence and opened the book to a random page.

As I read Clay’s words that told of the abuse he and his mother had suffered at the hands of his biological father, I nearly stopped breathing. I began to tremble as he shared the account of the strength his mother had to find in order to leave the man who had oppressed her and her son for so long—and how that act of strength helped Clay to become the man that he grew into, that wonderful young man who has inspired millions with his own strong and gentle spirit.

I shut the book quietly so as not to wake my son, sleeping so innocently beside me. As he lay in the refuge of his dreams, I looked into his beautiful face. In that face, I saw two futures laid out before him, one dramatically different from the other. And in that moment, before his nap had ended, I had made up my mind. Like Clay’s mother, I would find the strength to make a better life for the two of us.

The next morning, while my husband still slept, I quietly and triumphantly packed a few of our belongings into my car. I buckled my son into his seat, took a deep breath, and started the journey toward the future that God intended us to have.

Several months after our escape, my son and I celebrated our newfound freedom by attending a Clay Aiken concert. Tears streamed down my face as I held my son’s hand and we watched Clay perform. But these were no longer tears of fear or sadness or hopelessness, but rather tears of gratitude—gratitude for this man who will never know how the turn of a page changed our lives forever.

Lexie Matthews

Reprinted by permission of Lexie Matthews. ©2007 Lexie Matthews.