A memoir recalling the difficult circumstances of an itinerant family from Oklahoma, who settled in the agricultural fields of California, raising their ten children as best they could. One parent tried to keep the family together, but she developed heart problems and cancer, ultimately resulting in her early death. The other parent was an alcoholic and an abusive parent, who tore the family apart through his affairs, loss of wages, and mental and abusive parenting of the children. His success resulted from the activities of a pastor, his congregation, and a number of teachers who engendered a love for learning through drama, speech, and academic activities that allowed the author to climb out of poverty and gave him the opportunity to be accepted into college to change his fate. This book is for anyone who is facing difficult times; anyone who knows someone who is in the beginning of or the midst of family crisis; anyone who likes to see the "good guy" succeed against all odds