Jackie Dee Cunningham is a retired private investigator who had a tough start in life. He was placed in a children's home at age eleven and later sent to juvenile detention before plotting to join the Marine Corps, where he anticipated finding a path to "freedom." He would soon learn that freedom has responsibilities, including how to conduct one's life with and without institutionalized guidance. In this collection of short stories and photos, Jackie conveys how life's purpose and meaning are often derived from the school of hard knocks.