The Boy Who Carried Bricks

Abandoned by his father, neglected by his mother, shuttled between foster homes and a boys ranch for most of his formative years, a young man refuses to succumb to the fate that the world says should be his. Alton Carter does not mince words as he describes a childhood full of violence and hunger and isolation. Early on, Alton decides he wants a “normal life”—even if that means standing up to abusive relatives and being teased by his siblings and their friends. Along the way, he keeps an eye out...