With an exacting, hauntingly simple prose, famed American sculptor, poet, and memoirist Donald Haugen revisits his childhood in "The Valley of Innocence Lost," a remarkable and splendid portrait of a child's vulnerability and resilience. As a small boy, Donnie Haugen is fully indoctrinated into the Roman Catholic Church and he believes God is omnipotent and omnipresent. However, he is not blind to the sins of his mother and father, or the world around him. So Donnie prays for things to get better. It is this faith that fuels Donnie's anxiety and his fears are fanned into flames by the unfathomable sins in the valley of the Devil. In a Midwest setting, during the 30's, 40's, and 50's, Haugen weaves his incredible story leaving the reader with hope and proof that, no matter the horror, survival is a grand reward.