A young boy named Alton grows up in abusive household with his 5 other siblings. He’s the second oldest but he still gets treated unfairly. Other kids and even teachers pick on him because he’s small and his family is poor. His real dad abandoned him when he was a baby so he was never in the picture. But his stepdad seemed like he was good at first, but it was only to gain his mom’s trust. He started to take control over what she did and even went as far as to hitting her. Once the CPS found out they sent the kids out to foster homes. Alton becomes sad and feels hopeless. But he eventually remembers that he must stay strong and stand up for he wants. He starts working and becomes bigger. Also as he’s growing up he plays football. This shows that no matter what kind of background you have and whatever history you have, you can still accomplish your dreams.

It talks about how there are families in the world who deal with these abusive issues and they don’t know where to find help. Or they just don’t want help. The difference Alton made in his life can inspire people who have gone thru the same issues.

This tells how much one story can affect someone. The author even started the Inspire Foundation because he saw how much the story assisted young adults. People relate their own lives to Alton, and see the connection on how they are similar.

The main thing that I got out of the story is that, he never gave up, he never lost hope and he focused on what he wanted most, a “normal life”. This can give hope to many people who are going through similar issues and really inspire people to achieve their goals. That’s something I think most people can’t do, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I wish I could inspire people and that people saw the value in my story that it motivates them. I feel like most people can make the same connection to my stories as they did to Alton’s story and it can help them become just as successful.