An Inspiring and Often Humorous Rags-to-Riches Story

With rare humor and the instincts of a born storyteller, George A. Santino describes his rise from rags to riches through a series of adventures that begin in Philadelphia's violent Tasker Street projects where he dodges his alcoholic father's fits of temper, fishes for rats, and sells tomatoes from the back of a truck. His escapades continue as he opens a sports bar with no walls in North Tampa, curses out a drill sergeant in Fort Jackson, and battles a hiring manager to get a job in Menlo Park that he fully intends to turn down.

Santino's adventures culminate when he enjoys a long, successful career with Microsoft, builds a family, loses (and regains) a small fortune along the way, and triumphs over a freak spinal injury that doctors predicted would prevent him from ever working again before his thirtieth birthday. Throughout, Santino shares his perspectives on business and mentorship and stresses, by example, his central lesson: No matter what life throws at you, get back up.