When Rick Lydon walked away from a successful management career, he thought he had it all figured out. But at an alternative school for at-risk youth, he faces a mid-life game-changer. Rick is challenged by a sad twelve-year-old not to "walk out like everyone else." With hysterical and heartwrenching detail, Rick vividly leads us in and out of the desperate lives of his students, and many of the challenges facing educators today. His own story of personal growth and recovery from adversity underlies all the vignettes he shares about his students, and serves as inspiration for anyone looking to overcome life's many obstacles. Classrooms today are filled with students who are at risk not only of dropping out of school, but out of society as well. As Rick's insightful journey points out, we all pay a steep price for this neglect and victimization of our young people. But this is not just a book for teachers. There is a universal message In the Roundest of Places that will resonate with all people who struggle to overcome life's challenges, regardless of age or occupation. Like Rick, at any moment we too can find ourselves In the Roundest of Places, those places where life gets tough and can wear away our most basic beliefs. Ultimately, we can become the person we are meant to become.