Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Alvin's family lore says that his father, Lee Thomas, was a poker player who left when Alvin was born. His mother, Sarah, married a hog farmer who had a plot near Rogers, Arkansas. They shared a three-room cabin with Alvin and his brothers. #2 Alvin grew up in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. He was a very precocious child, able to throw a coin so that it landed flat against a wall. He could make the coin lean on the wall if he wanted. He was also very good at card tricks. #3 When no one was looking, Alvin would pitch pennies at a tin cup. After hundreds of tosses, he grooved a soft underhand motion. He could now offer a crazy-sounding bet: I can make nine out of ten from five paces. #4 Alvin's first stop after leaving Rogers was Monett, Missouri, the town of his birth. He thought he might pick up his father's trail there, but instead he met a man who sold colorful accordion maps of the United States.