A homeless foster kid finds redemption in Iraq.
Angel Blue: A Song of Redemption is Forrest Lang’s memoir of childhood abuse, foster care, homelessness, addiction, military service, recovery, and the long process of confronting a past he spent years trying to escape.
What Angel Blue is about
Forrest grew up experiencing severe physical, sexual, and emotional abuse before entering the Southern California foster care system. By sixteen, he was homeless and struggling with alcoholism.
His life eventually led him into the U.S. Navy, through addiction and recovery, profound loss, and later back into military service after September 11. He deployed to Iraq as a hospital corpsman, where another chapter of his life began.
Angel Blue follows that entire journey.
It also deals directly with something that shaped much of Forrest’s life: the silence surrounding childhood sexual abuse. Forrest wrote Angel Blue because those experiences are still too often hidden, minimized, or carried alone for decades.
Speaking about them openly is part of breaking that silence.
A true story, told openly
Angel Blue spends as much time on the difficult years as it does on recovery.
Forrest writes about abuse, alcoholism, relapse, anger, grief, suicidal thoughts, military service, relationships, and the consequences of living for years with unresolved trauma.
He also writes about sobriety, forgiveness, meditation, service, tattooing, family, and the gradual process of building a life he wanted to live.
The result is a memoir about survival, recovery, and redemption without pretending that any of those things happen quickly or easily.
Who should read Angel Blue
Angel Blue may especially resonate with:
- Survivors of childhood sexual abuse and other forms of childhood trauma
- People in recovery from alcoholism or addiction, and the people who love them
- Adults who experienced foster care, abandonment, or homelessness
- Veterans and service members
- Counselors, advocates, peer support workers, first responders, and others who work with trauma
- Anyone interested in an honest memoir about survival, recovery, and rebuilding a life
For readers of A Child Called “It” and The Glass Castle
Readers who connected with memoirs such as A Child Called “It” and The Glass Castle may find familiar territory in Angel Blue.
Forrest writes openly about a childhood marked by abuse and instability, then follows the effects of those experiences into adulthood, including alcoholism, military service, loss, recovery, and the work of learning how to live beyond what happened.
You are not alone.
You are not broken.
Content
Angel Blue contains direct descriptions of childhood sexual abuse, physical violence, addiction, suicidal ideation, and other traumatic experiences. Some of Forrest’s illustrations also address these subjects.
The memoir was written for an adult audience.
If you need support, our resources page lists survivor, recovery, and crisis organizations.
The illustrated hardcover
Forrest is a professional tattoo artist and visual artist. The hardcover edition of Angel Blue includes full color illustrations created by Forrest throughout the memoir.
The art accompanies different parts of the story and gives Forrest another way to express experiences that were difficult to communicate through words alone.
The illustrations are exclusive to the hardcover edition. They are not included in the paperback or ebook, and individual prints are not currently available for sale.
Illustrations from Angel Blue
All art was created by Forrest Lang and appears in the illustrated hardcover edition of Angel Blue: A Song of Redemption.
Which edition should you choose?
Paperback
$21.95
Text only
A good choice for reading, sharing, and passing along.
Illustrated Hardcover
$42.95
Full color illustrations throughout
A good choice for keeping, gifting, or experiencing the memoir together with Forrest’s original art.
Every copy ordered directly through this site is signed by Forrest. Due to demand, please allow up to 15 days for signed copies to ship.
Questions readers ask
Is Angel Blue a true story?
Yes. Angel Blue is Forrest Lang’s memoir and tells the story of his childhood, foster care experience, military service, addiction, recovery, and the events that shaped his life.
Do the illustrations come in the paperback?
No. The full color illustrations are exclusive to the hardcover edition.
Can I buy the illustrations as prints?
No. Individual prints are not currently available for sale.
Is there an audiobook?
Yes. The unabridged audiobook runs 8 hours and 1 minute and is narrated by Jeffrey Machado.
Is Angel Blue appropriate for teenagers?
Angel Blue was written for adults and contains explicit discussions of childhood sexual abuse, violence, addiction, and suicidal ideation. Parents, guardians, counselors, and other trusted adults should use their own judgment when deciding whether it is appropriate for an older teenager.
Can I order copies in bulk?
Yes. Bulk orders are available for treatment centers, recovery programs, schools, veteran organizations, military units, and other groups. Contact Forrest for bulk pricing and availability.
Who published Angel Blue?
Angel Blue: A Song of Redemption was published by Primedia eLaunch LLC in 2022.
Paperback ISBN: 9798886277180
Hardcover ISBN: 9798886277241
Read it, then pass it on
Many people who finish Angel Blue buy a second copy for someone else.
Over the years, copies have been passed between friends, families, survivors, veterans, recovery communities, treatment programs, and people who simply knew someone who needed to read it.
That is one of the ways Angel Blue continues to travel.
Rated 4.8 out of 5 from 254 reviews on Amazon · 4.5 on Goodreads. More about the author on the About Forrest page.