An Improbable Life

This book shows how adherence to strong conservative/libertarian moral values can overcome the depravity of liberal relativism that has given us the sad state of today s American culture.

Liberalism has caused a breakdown of the cornerstone of civil society, the family unit. Inept and corrupt liberal/progressive governance of most large American cities has led to a dramatic increase in juvenile crime caused by gangs, which recruit new members as young as 12 years. Sadly, youthful lawbreakers too often become hardened criminals before their 18th birthday – and whatever ability they might possess is lost to the world forever.

This book presents the true story that occurred before liberals declared their disastrous war on poverty. It reveals how the author battled the adversity of a broken home and charted his own course from being a high-school dropout in a prison cell to a PhD from one of the world’s finest scientific universities. The story illustrates the power of ideas and persistence in pursuing goals, and clearly demonstrates the wisdom of Aristotle who said, All things which humans hold sacred can only come from difficulty, struggle, and the growing idealization of bliss and perfection, which can only flourish in the mind when paradise is utterly lost.

This book is dedicated to Mrs. E. Paul duPont, an American pioneer in prison reform and the juvenile justice system in Delaware. It tells a story of how much difference even a small amount of effort aimed at rehabilitation can make, a fact that Mrs. duPont knew well. But, Mrs. duPont also knew that rehabilitation is effective only if the person takes the initiative to begin rehabilitation without outside help. It also shows how much American society can benefit from saving even a single young person from a dismal future.

The book spans a century, beginning with the birth of the author s father in 1903. It is interlaced with significant twentieth-century events including the development of science and technology at the dawn of the twentieth century, the Great Depression, World War II, the Eisenhower years, and highlights from Major League baseball. This glimpse of President Reagan s image of America as a shining city on a hill contrasts to the current president s view of America as a European-style-nanny-state nation in a ditch.

This story has already served as a source of inspiration for wayward youths with whom Dr. Wilcox has worked on a volunteer basis. It is a must read for any teenager or parent of a teenager who has run into trouble with the law. Above all, it is a story of tragedy, destruction, redemption and hope that shows why young Americans should never give up on themselves.

Some of the profits from each book sold will be used to donate copies of the book to young men and women incarcerated in youth facilities.