Inside a death trap, survival is the ONLY thing that matters. A series of tragic family hardships-including illness and job loss-forces a 15-year-old and his family out of a major Northern city and into the rural Deep South, where they encounter even more setbacks after plunging into extreme poverty. DETERMINED: AN AMERICAN SUCCESS STORY is the coming-of-age memoir of Kory Ryan: a compelling, entertaining, and emotional journey of one young man's experiences beating the odds-and the lessons he learned from friends and strangers along the way. Heartfelt and written with the spirit of optimism, DETERMINED is a must-read for anyone looking to harness the power of determination and motivate themselves to become the absolute best they can be.