The Fortunate Child

When Lewis Puller tripped a booby-trapped howitzer round in Vietnam, triggering a explosion that would cost him his legs, his career as a soldier ended--and the battle to reclaim his life began. "An extraordinary story of survival. And of love."--Mary Jordan, "The Washington Post."

I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO SOMETHING FOR OTHERS. But did I? I attempted to hold higher moral grounds, about everything - helping those in need, not judging others based on class, caste, religion, beliefs or values - were just some of them. Lofty ideals only and no action to speak of. With so many issues, small or big, social or moral, which one do I really believe in enough to champion? What has made a difference for me, and would make an impact for others? I juggled with these questions often, but remained a latte sipping intellectual 'discussing' the issues affecting our world. It was getting quite apparent that I just complained about those problems and, each time, added more empty words and skepticism. One day, when I was in the world bashing mood for every problem in our society, my husband pointed out that I probably don't even know what I stand for. He asked me to check if there was anything I truly believed in enough to do something about. I paused, and it didn't take me long to figure it out. I was born in India, and belong to the generation that had seen the shift from the joint to nuclear family structure, as people moved from their rural base to urban centers for jobs. Girls in joint rural families were not encouraged to go outside of the confines of their family compounds, but things changed when they started moving to cities with their husbands. Those women not only began to get an education, but also ensured their next generation had even better opportunities. Quite expectedly, nothing short of revolution took place and continues to strengthen India. Most well-to-do, middle-class (and upwards) Indian households have housekeepers. They are, more often than not, young children from poor, uneducated families who serve in the homes where children's education is a top priority. These housekeepers, just like the women in rural set up, seldom have the opportunity for education and not much has changed for them. So, I started writing my thoughts and observations which took the shape of a book that I called, 'The Fortunate Child'. The premise is that every child that gets the opportunity for education is a fortunate one. In this work of fiction, I have attempted to use a simple storyline to explore how people find courage to do what they champion. Its main characters believe that education has the power to address a majority of issues in the world today. Writing this book has given me the opportunity to progress from believing in this cause, and doing something about it. A baby step for sure, but a right one I hope. The Fortunate Child is a story of a girl who found the inspiration and courage to champion education for all. She dreams of educating others, but gets distracted by superficial social norms and her own selfish limitations until facing a tragedy that calls her to act. This book explores her journey of treading the complex world of prejudice, unfairness, inspiration, and justice."

A delightful story for everyone, because it is about everyone; young, old and young at heart. A little boy struggles with the limitations of being little. Although he lives an ordinary life, he strives for more. With his vivid imagination he believes he can take on the world. But when his favourite companion goes missing, his world falls apart. Through his experiences of anger, loss and sadness, he discovers that real peace comes from recognising what can be, while accepting what is.

It was a long, sometimes devastating, journey Maxine was forced to undertake through the depths of despair as a preschooler, and then on through a tumultuous adolescence during which she was ignored yet at the same time abused by a uncaring mother who daily left her with a malevolent grandmother who similarly mistreated her. Instructed by her divorced mother to no longer call her Mama, in an effort to enhance her own marketability as a perspective wife to some unsuspecting man. Fortunately, Maxine was endowed with the guiles and street smarts that allowed her to survive. The pain of her youth was converted, of necessity, into the toughness and unwillingness to accept what appeared to be inevitable. As the result of her own perseverance and courage she was accepted and graduated from Brooklyn College. Separating herself from her horrendous past, she resurrected her life by achieving success as a school teacher, a wife and, ultimately, a mother and grandmother. Along the way, she became proficient as a stock trader, thus providing herself and her family the additional financial and emotional security she was deprived of in her early years. Maxine reflects on her life as an independent success story.

I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO SOMETHING FOR OTHERS. But did I? I attempted to hold higher moral grounds, about everything - helping those in need, not judging others based on class, caste, religion, beliefs or values - were just some of them. Lofty ideals only and no action to speak of. With so many issues, small or big, social or moral, which one do I really believe in enough to champion? What has made a difference for me, and would make an impact for others? I juggled with these questions often, but remained a latte sipping intellectual discussing the issues affecting our world. It was getting quite apparent that I just complained about those problems and, each time, added more empty words and skepticism. One day, when I was in the world bashing mood for every problem in our society, my husband pointed out that I probably don't even know what I stand for. He asked me to check if there was anything I truly believed in enough to do something about. I paused, and it didnt take me long to figure it out. I was born in India, and belong to the generation that had seen the shift from the joint to nuclear family structure, as people moved from their rural base to urban centers for jobs. Girls in joint rural families were not encouraged to go outside of the confines of their family compounds, but things changed when they started moving to cities with their husbands. Those women not only began to get an education, but also ensured their next generation had even better opportunities. Quite expectedly, nothing short of revolution took place and continues to strengthen India. Most well-to-do, middle-class (and upwards) Indian households have housekeepers. They are, more often than not, young children from poor, uneducated families who serve in the homes where childrens education is a top priority. These housekeepers, just like the women in rural set up, seldom have the opportunity for education and not much has changed for them. So, I started writing my thoughts and observations which took the shape of a book that I called, 'The Fortunate Child'. The premise is that every child that gets the opportunity for education is a fortunate one. In this work of fiction, I have attempted to use a simple storyline to explore how people find courage to do what they champion. Its main characters believe that education has the power to address a majority of issues in the world today. Writing this book has given me the opportunity to progress from believing in this cause, and doing something about it. A baby step for sure, but a right one I hope. The Fortunate Child is a story of a girl who found the inspiration and courage to champion education for all. She dreams of educating others, but gets distracted by superficial social norms and her own selfish limitations until facing a tragedy that calls her to act. This book explores her journey of treading the complex world of prejudice, unfairness, inspiration, and justice.

Tommy's nickname is Lucky, but no one would think this crippled boy was blessed. Cursed with health problems and drawn into trouble more often than not, Tommy is the recipient of pity rather than admiration. He is nothing like his stepbrother Eric. Eric, a Nordic Adonis, is graced by a seemingly endless supply of good fortune-he is charming, a star athlete, and a magnet for anyone in his sphere. Yet in spite of these differences, Eric and Tommy are as close as two humans can be. After tragedy rips their makeshift family apart, the lives of these boys split. In a powerful story of modern-day resilience and redemption, Tommy and Eric forge their separate ways in the world, each confronting the challenges of his sphere. For Tommy this means dropping out of school, selling drugs, living on the streets, and somehow creating a family of his own. Motherless, African-American, and impoverished, Tommy has nothing but feels lucky every day of his life. For Eric, the golden youth, life means athletics, sexual attraction, excellent grades, prosperity, and the uncertainty that comes with prizes won too easily. Given everything, he trusts nothing. Eric and Tommy's parallel lives are an astonishing story of self-determination and the true measure of fortune. The ties that bind this Adonis and his sickly counterpart, however, are thicker than blood, and when circumstances reunite Eric and Tommy after years apart, their distinct approaches to life may be the only thing that can save them from forces that threaten to destroy them for good. Written with unique insight into the hidden currents and deeper realities of modern life, Fortunate Son is a tour de force by the author the Boston Globe calls "one of this nation's finest writers."

A novel based on a true story. Set in England and Germany between 1936 and 1999.

This title provides the truth about George W. Bush: how he dodged the draft,as a mediocre student at Yale, lost a lot of other people's money in boomimes in the Texas oil market, and was investigated by the SEC for insiderrading. It is a life of special favours, cut corners and blurry values.