Dave Kehnast
“I had a place on my insides, below all the anger, that glowed like happy tears shed from angels in wondrous delight. I knew this. I saw all of our wings.”
– The Coalition | Undercover Angel
UNDERCOVER ANGEL
In Undercover Angel, Dave Kehnast takes readers on a vulnerable, raw, gut-wrenching journey into the heart and mind of a sensitive, often love-sick teenager in his explorations of marijuana, LSD, alcohol, and ultimately opiates and heroin. This harrowing memoir brings us among junkies and thieves, prostitutes and police, heartbreak and love, and to Japan and back. As Dave navigates the Dantean realms all addicts face, he ultimately encounters both his inner child and inner warrior—and the unlimited possibilities that emerge from the power of hope and surrender.
This rare look at the experience of addiction from the inside out shines a light on the connection between childhood wounds and addiction, and the unpredictable nature of recovery. All those seeking to understand the root causes of addiction, whether in themselves, those they love, or in larger society, will come face to face with their own woundedness, the ways we try to ease our own pain, and ultimately empathy and hope for those who find themselves on this path.
Preview the Book
HEROIN
Heroin is hell. But it doesn’t end there, because heroin is beauty and heroin is love. Heroin is your first kiss and heroin is death. Heroin is truth, lies, pity, and God, and unattended 12-step meetings. It is perfect, and serves a purposelessness like no other by making good people go insane and do despicable things their mothers taught them not to. It defines deals with the Devil and makes feelings “go away” to other places, to be squashed down into compartments and hidden in dark, abandoned palaces that only God has the key for. I still love heroin for all that it is; because I am here, because it was destiny, and because there’s a story with a living ending that has made me a man. I want to call it “Her,” like it is the sea, a vessel, or a country worthy of recognition. But despite all of its influence it is still not worthy of anything proper. Dope remains filthy in its essence and covers the dirt that all junkies have filling up their insides, making them bearable in otherwise despicable lives of ruin.
UNDERCOVER ANGEL PODCAST
Listen in as Author and Host, Dave Kehnast, takes the reader deeper into the nature of addiction and to support them in understanding the deeper and complex nuances and dynamics that very often lead to the decisions that many addicts end up making.
What Readers Are Saying
TESTIMONIALS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Offering Hope
There is a raw yet beautifully poetic feel to Undercover Angel. The unique cadence and perspective of the writing alongside the artistic and unexpected flow of the story line made it impossible to put down. I found the book to be refreshingly yet brutally honest, woven with equal parts grit, humor and hope. It takes the reader through the incomprehensible horrors of drug addiction, and inspires a new understanding of the violent life and death battle of recovery. The book serves not only to entertain, but also to educate and offer hope to those who struggle directly or indirectly with addiction. Undercover Angel left me inspired, enlightened, and crossing my fingers that there is more to come from Dave Kehnast.
A Truly Heroic Story
A Truly Heroic story of survival, Dave engages the reader right from the start, taking you along with him on his painful journey through the awkwardness of adolescence, years of teen oblivion rebelling against societal norms, and desperately seeking acceptance. Dave candidly bears the very depths of his soul on these pages, uniting his readers with the torment of being trapped in the daily debauchery of addiction. I can honestly say, I couldn’t tear myself away, a painful but brilliantly written story. Dave’s writing is raw, brutally honest captivating, engaging, funny, sad and so much more! You must read this story for yourself. Bestseller list ahead for Dave Kehnast, Undercover Angel