Adversity and negativity can doom most children to a life of despair and failure. However, a few dedicated adults willing to offer love and support can make the critical difference. That's the lesson Sid James learned through an extraordinary life of challenge and perseverance.

He grew up in a family of high achievers. Of the six James children raised in rural Tennessee in the 1950s and 1960s, three would be valedictorians, and two would graduate in the top tier of their class. Then there was Sid. He used to brag that his parents raised five smart kids and one smart aleck.

In this entertaining and lively memoir, Sid chronicles his life as a child-suffering from dyslexia and hyperactivity-his disappointment in his teachers, his decision to become a better teacher than they were, then his journeys to college, the Vietnam War, surviving the trauma of PTSD, and the culmination of 37 consecutive years working with students of all grades, pre-kindergarten through high school. Along the way, he compiled a treasure-trove of hilarious anecdotes designed to enlighten and entertain readers everywhere.