The Boy They Tried to Break: A Memoir of Survival, Identity, and Becoming Unbreakable

Childhood ended at six. Police cuffs at ten. Felony charges at sixteen. A near-fatal motorcycle wreck at twenty-eight.Between those moments were years of hunger, violence, addiction, and silence. The Boy They Tried to Break is the true story of a child forced into survival long before he ever had the chance to be a kid.Tremaine Criner pulls readers into the moments the world never sees:stealing bread just to eat, being handcuffed while bleeding, running from addiction while running toward love, surviving a crash that shattered his body, and embracing a truth he had carried quietly his entire life.Through it all, something in him refused to die.Something unbreakable.This memoir isn’t about perfection—it’s about survival, identity, and rebuilding a life from the ashes.For anyone who has ever felt broken, underestimated, or defined by their past, this book is proof that no matter what tried to destroy you…you can still become unbreakable. Read more