In A Man's Grasp Should Exceed His Reach, author Leonard Cain delivers a biographical study of Austin Porterfield, a noted sociologist from a small university. This erudite work traces the life of Porterfield from his meager upbringing in an impoverished region of the Ozarks to his influential tenure as a Professor of Sociology at Texas Christian University. Emphasis is given to Porterfield's roles as founder and first editor of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior and as a pioneer in several fields of sociology.