Chaz Holesworth is a popular mail carrier in Glenside who occasionally delivers books to his mail customers, but now has his own book to deliver. His just-published memoir, “Life and How to Live it: Begin the Begin” tells the story of a fierce struggle to overcome a horrific and soul-crushing childhood.

“Because of my father's heroin addiction, our financial circumstances were always dire,” Holesworth told us last week. “We struggled to buy food, and most of my clothing was either from thrift stores or hand-me-downs. We didn’t have hot water for five years after our hot water heater broke.”

Released by Dorrance Publishing, Holesworth's book chronicles his tumultuous upbringing in Kensington in a house where steps collapsed leaving holes in the staircase that the family navigated to move about the house. Outside, Holesworth was a repeated victim - mugged, chased and jumped. Drug dealers hung out on the family’s front steps, and on nearly every corner in the neighborhood.

Holesworth’s mother became a born-again Christian and raised him in that faith. The experience left him “with a horrible education and tons of guilt and doubts about religion in general.”  Holesworth attended fundamentalist schools associated with several area churches. 

Holesworth did not graduate from high school but eventually earned his GED and went on to study at Community College of Philadelphia part-time from 1998-2001, but did not graduate. “I struggled to catch up because my previous education did not adequately prepare me for college,” he said. “I majored in theater and did well in the classes for my major, but I struggled with core classes like English and was not able to get the credits I needed to graduate. I didn't know how to write an essay or structure sentences without them being run-ons. It's pretty crazy to hear that from a guy who actually wrote a book.”

Holesworth has been working since he was 14. In his book, he tells about his first job. After school, he worked for a collection agency, but he admits he was terrible at it because he felt so sorry for the people he was trying to collect money from. So he left that job after one year, and between 2002 and 2007, he worked for various nonprofit organizations that assisted people with mental health issues and intellectual disabilities. At one of those agencies, BARC Developmental Services, Holesworth met his  wife-to-be, Sarah.

Holesworth's book is brutally honest about his struggles and serious mental health issues in his 20s.

“I didn't know what was wrong with me at the time,” he said, “but I was an anxious mess. I walked around for several years as though I was in a bad acid trip. I finally learned that what I was experiencing was post-traumatic stress disorder. I dealt with this for three years without any help from doctors, and somehow I made it through. Writing my book and reliving a lot of bad things also was a big challenge, but after I finished, I felt some relief. It was actually very cathartic.”

One constant theme of his book — and sequels he is working on — is that his love for music, especially the music of R.E.M., Nirvana and Tori Amos, helped to save his life. “Friends that I met along the way, many still in my life today, also helped me get by,” he said. “Finally, I had a strong drive inside me that kept me going and reminded me that I deserved more.”

Another driving force in Holesworth's life is animal rights. “I became a vegetarian in 1994 and then turned vegan a few years ago,” he said. “I try my best to avoid any sort of animal cruelty in things I buy, and I don't wear leather. I also donate regularly to some animal rights charities. Unfortunately, growing up in poverty in Kensington exposed me to several situations where animals were mistreated or not cared for the way they deserved. This had a lasting impression on me.”

The new author has been a mail carrier for 18 years. He started in the Frankford, Logan and East Germantown post offices, but in 2014 he transferred to the Glenside station.

“The best thing about being a mail carrier,” Holesworth said, “is definitely the people I deliver to. They are friendly, and I really like getting to know them and seeing their families grow. It's nice to have these connections. It's also nice to be able to work while listening to audiobooks or music on my little speaker as I walk my route. On the other hand, the worst thing about the job is being outside for long periods of time in the winter, especially in cold rain.”

Holesworth's book can be obtained through Amazon or Google Books. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com