This book tells an American success story: the rise of Johnny Young from a life of poverty in the American South and the slums of the North to the highest ranks of the U.S. Foreign Service. As the story unfolds, Young learns the value of hard work in the face of adversity, fights to acquire an education, meets the love of his life, becomes an accomplished diplomat, and serves on four continents to promote and defend American interests. This is also the story of the shared challenges and rewards of his familys life in the Foreign Service.