"An inspiring memoir of one man's transformation through literature and debate from a delinquent, drug-dealing dropout to an award-winning Harvard educator -- all by the age of 27"-- Growing up in an abusive home, Fleming's grades were a nod to his skill on the basketball court, not his presence in the classroom. He turned to the streets and drug deals by fourteen, and the dream of basketball stardom ended with an injury during his first semester at a Division I school. Eventually Fleming became determined to reinvent himself as a scholar, and immersed himself in the work of Black thinkers from the Harlem Renaissance to present day. He found debate, which became the means by which he transformed his life and the tool he would use to transform the lives of others. His memoir is a tale of resilience, visibility, role models, and overcoming all expectations. -- adapted from jacket