Cory Smit never had a chance to grow up as a normal kid. Between the extreme views pushed on him in church to being bullied at a series of schools, it took years to understand the worst of his trouble at home. After surviving physical and psychological trauma at the hands of his adoptive parents, Cory entered custody of the State of Arizona through a series of misunderstandings and misguided interventions.

Framing his life story from an adult perspective, Cory takes readers on a journey through the wide range of households and institutions that made him into the person he is today. With perseverance and help from extended family members, he finds a way to come to terms with the toxic aspects of his upbringing, crafting a strong identity for himself as he eventually navigates finding employment, graduating from college, and starting a family of his own