“From Rat-Tail Ridge To Capitol Hill And Back” is an autobiography written by Robert Edward (Bob) Fulton before his passing in 2018. It’s the story of a man born during the Great Depression into a poor and hard-working family of Middle American farmers, who became a public school teacher at the age of 16, served in the Army, and was the first in his family to graduate from college. He went on to obtain advanced degrees in law and public administration, to serve in the highest levels of government, and to become one of the country’s leading experts on government programs for alleviating poverty. Bob’s own journey was a reflection of the hope that he tried to bring to others — that when opportunity is made available to people of personal integrity and industry, good things can grow, just as life can spring up from the unforgiving soil of a farm on Rat-Tail Ridge. Bob’s own journey was deeply shaped by the experiences of those who went before him; “From Rat-Tail Ridge To Capitol Hill And Back” thus also tells the story of his ancestry. As with many Americans, the family story began with migration from another continent in search of a better life — in his family’s case, from Europe in the 1700s. It’s the classic pioneers’ tale, moving from parts east to the land west of the Mississippi in a persevering struggle to cobble together a workable life in a new land. “From Rat-Tail Ridge To Capitol Hill And Back” at once rings both familiar and remarkable, providing common refrains of the American experience while also reminding that principle, basic decency, and commitment to community are the magic stuff of life.