A misguided society takes Rickie from his family when he is a young boy. The resulting incarceration is nine long, torturous years.Soon, his treasured family childhood is a fading memory. Struggling to survive the callousness of institutional care is his focus. His adaptation is paramount, or he is likely to fall into the black hole of depression.Human spirit and humor can overcome evil, even when all looks lost."'You can lie in the mud and cry or get up and fight boy. This is a choice only you can make, inside you is the strength to be whatever and whover you choose to be...' So says Rickie Battler, taken from his parents, and separated from his brothers at a tender age to be raised in a loveless children's home. It is a story of courage, endurance and determination: the true story of a child who fought back and won A must read..." - Gary Crew, Professor Emeritus and Author "This book has optimism and wit despite the gloomy situation of its characters. There's this pearler, 'Did we get up to mischief? Every chance we got. Did we get caught? Not enough for us to stop trying...' And 'Besides, 'dobbing in' someone would only make any kid a pariah, a sure path to a painful existence. Violence was an unseen undertone that permeated all our daily lives.'" - Donna Munro, Author