By Steve Pemberton
Set mostly in and around New Bedford, an orphaned boy lives through a horrific experience in foster care and finds hope in reading while his social workers miss opportunities to see and report the beatings and abuse to which young Steve is continually subjected. Steve is an outstanding student who sees college as the way out of his "prison". When his home situation degenerates even further, a helpful teacher from his high school's upward bound program takes him in for the remaining two years of high school. As a middle school student, Steve had seen a brochure on Boston College and dreamed of attending one day. Eventually, his dream would be fulfilled, and he would be on the road to success. But he still hasn't solved the mystery of his origins. Who were his parents - and where did his last name (Klacowicz) come from? The road he travels and the people he meets along the way are fascinating and Steve (now Pemberton - his father's name) is triumphant - a beautiful story of overcoming the odds.
Like Hillbilly Elegy, this boy was really fortunate to have a teacher who saw something in him when it could easily have been overlooked. There are still heroes in public schools.
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