Meet the Beast

Fort Lauderdale, November 2006: Perseverance is a wonderful thing, in the right hands. For an autistic young-ster, perseverance and single-mindedness is a way of life. When an autistic child discovers something he likes to do, he can become astonishingly adept at it. Such is Nathaniel’s story. Dave Donch shares this marvelous true account with us in his book, Beast.

Emerson Park, in Auburn, New York, is home of the baseball fields used by Auburn little league for its games. It's a place where a young player's dreams can come true and where memories are made and revisited. For nine-year-old Nathaniel, it's where he gets to do his favorite thing ― play baseball.
At one important game, it becomes apparent there is more at stake than the outcome of this game between two teams. At stake are the hopes of Nathaniel and his family ― a lot of weight on the shoulders of one boy, especially if he is autistic.

Join Nathaniel as he struggles to find his place in a world that often seems too big to comprehend. Witness his tri-umph as seen thru the eyes of his coach, his parents, and his outspoken and hard playing big brother. Be careful, or this special boy may manage to hit, run and pitch his way into your heart the way he’s done so many others.
Based on real events occurring throughout the little league career of Nathaniel Donch, this story will load up the bases with your heart, mind, and soul, and send them home like a last inning, walk-off grand slam.

About the Author
Dave Donch is the father of the autistic boy portrayed in his book. He was born in 1966 and raised on a small farm in Albion, PA. At the age of eighteen, he had a powerful Christian conversion experience and forsook the comforts of the secular life to enter a Russian Orthodox Christian monastery in Hiram, Ohio, where he lived as an ascetic. He later left the monastery and was enrolled in St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological seminary in South Canaan, PA. While at-tending the seminary he also undertook degree studies at Marywood College in Scranton, PA, where he studied music education and liberal arts. Later, his interest turned to business management studies. Dave now resides with his wife and four children in Auburn, NY, where he currently enjoys a low profile career as a mechanical maintenance techni-cian in the melt shop of the local steel mill. He loves to work as a volunteer youth baseball coach in his spare time; viewing coaching as an opportunity to help kids build good character.