Summary of Debra Newell & M. William Phelps's Surviving Dirty John

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 I was in my fifties and single in early October 2014. I had just sold my house in Irvine, California, and was moving beyond a painful breakup with a man who had emotionally abused and duped me. I felt optimism in the marrow of my bones: this was my time.

#2 I had completely given up on finding an honest, decent man. The idea of romantic love had become a mirage, and I had given up on it. I felt like I was too old for love.

#3 I was sold on OurTime’s pitch instantly: A dating site that not only understands what it is to be over 50, but also celebrates this exciting chapter of our lives. I was proud of my success, and I had worked hard to put together an A+ team of the best designers and a marketing director.

#4 There was a man I met at a restaurant who seemed like a good catch. He was a psychologist, and we had intellectual conversations over the phone. When we met in person, there was no chemistry. He was a player.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jul 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822536074

IRB Media

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Book preview

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

I was in my fifties and single in early October 2014. I had just sold my house in Irvine, California, and was moving beyond a painful breakup with a man who had emotionally abused and duped me. I felt optimism in the marrow of my bones: this was my time.

#2

I had completely given up on finding an honest, decent man. The idea of romantic love had become a mirage, and I had given up on it. I felt like I was too old for love.

#3

I was sold on OurTime’s pitch instantly: A dating site that not only understands what it is to be over 50, but also celebrates this exciting chapter of our lives. I was proud of my success, and I had worked hard to put together an A+ team of the best designers and a marketing director.

#4

There was a man I met at a restaurant who seemed like a good catch. He was a psychologist, and we had intellectual conversations over the phone. When we met in person, there was no chemistry. He was a player.

#5

I set up a date with a French man who told me he was widowed. He sent me flowers and a teddy bear, and then sent me a picture of his penis. I ended the date.

#6

I had escaped without being physically harmed, but I still ended up losing my phone and my dignity. I had to log into OurTime and delete my profile. I was done with online dating.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

I was born without a tube that connects the bladder to the kidneys, and I suffered from 105-degree fevers daily as a child. I was constantly in the hospital, and my doctors had predicted that I would not live past my teenage years. But prayer worked, and I lived longer than my teenage years.

#2

I grew up in a family that was constantly positive and supportive of me, but I also had an obsession with reading and building models. I was unable to experience love or family, but I could step into a fantasy world where meeting the perfect man and living a fairy-tale life with him were possible.

#3

I have worked hard to achieve my goals. I have sustained myself and more than forty employees for