Lab Rat: A Reckoning

by James Heldt

Overview

In LAB RAT: A RECKONING, author and artist James E. Heldt unleashes a story so raw and unbelievable, it could only be true. It is a chronicle of survival against a brutal father, a complicit mother, predatory lovers, and the soul-crushing machinery of the American medical and legal systems. It is the sound of a voice, long silenced, finally roaring back.

This is not a story of quiet resilience. It is a story about how rage, when born of love, is holy.

This exclusive Barnes & Noble full-color hardcover edition is the definitive version of this powerful testimony. For the first time, see the art that became an act of rebellion. Featuring stunning, full-color photographs of the author's paintings, silversmithing, and the beloved animal companions who were his constants, this edition transforms the book into a tangible gallery of survival. It is the proof that beauty can be forged in the hottest fires.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798317680756
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble Press
Publication date:	05/23/2025
Edition description:	Volume One ed.
Pages:	228
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

James E. Heldt is the one writing the results. After a lifetime spent as a subject in the brutal experiments of family, medicine, and the law, he has taken back the pen. He is a survivor, a witness, and a creator who has forged a life from the wreckage.

His hands, once forced to write in a way that wasn't his own, now create legacy works as a silversmith and painter. His voice, once silenced, is now used to lead intergenerational writing workshops at the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland. He is a licensed barber who believes that kindness is not weakness, but what survives the fire.

LAB RAT: A RECKONING is his testimony. It is his roar. It is his proof. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where he is protected and cherished by his cat, Sayuri-ko. His next project is a series of children's books about a blue bunny. Because after the reckoning, the most important work is to create light.

His mess is not your mission. Find him at www.theJamesHeldt.com