This memoir offers readers a deeply personal account of Tate Barkley's dysfunctional childhood, from the backwoods of North Carolina to his family's struggles with poverty in Central Florida and their ultimate move to the boomtown of 1970s Houston, Texas.

As a child, his grandmother's house was a sanctuary where he felt loved--and her big Sunday dinners nourished his stomach and his soul. His life changed when he discovered that the man he thought was his stepfather was actually his biological father. Tate craved his attention when he was charming and optimistic, but grew to loathe him as he would often disappear for months at a time, bringing shame on the family left to fend for themselves.

As a teen, Tate began drinking as he struggled to repress his sexuality. Ironically, his father, who was an alcoholic, became his best drinking buddy, and Tate finally found the connection he had been searching for. Alcohol gave Tate a sense of calm, much like the Sunday dinners of his childhood. But he continued hiding his sexuality and drinking to avoid his shame. It took hitting rock bottom for him to seek out help and enter recovery.

Tate Barkley's story of resilience and self-acceptance will resonate with readers as they follow his quest to accept himself and find the promise of serenity sobriety brings.