Rolling Pennies in the Dark
A Memoir with a Message
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4.2 • 14 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“Our intoxicated mother had marched the three of us out into what passed for a living room in the cardboard and tarpaper shack we were existing in on the edge of Nowhere, New Hampshire. She assembled us like an audience on the broken yellow sofa, and said, ‘I’m going to kill myself now, and it’s all your father’s fault.’
“After the dramatic announcement, and once sure we were all looking at the tragedy playing out before us, she took a bottle of sleeping pills out of her purse, and swallowed the entire contents, using vodka as the lubricant.” —excerpt from page 44
Through determination, a deep faith in God, and belief in himself, Douglas MacKinnon has taken the pains of his childhood and turned them into the fuel of compassion. Through his words, you can do the same.
A Memoir with a Message
It’s impossible for most of us to imagine what it would be like, as a nine-year-old child, to have your own mother empty her .45 pistol into your cardboard bedroom wall, bullets flying above your head, as you hold your baby sister close to protect her. We can’t imagine this, but Doug MacKinnon can. Doug can do more than imagine—he can remember.
This very personal memoir is both heartbreaking and highly inspirational. In it, Douglas MacKinnon weaves his astounding story as a desperately poor child and his triumphant transition from living in abject squalor to becoming a White House writer who now has the political influence to change the system—especially as it affects children.
But this book is more than the story of one man’s personal journey; it is a memoir with a message. Through this message, the author not only inspires readers to move beyond their own difficulties, he also calls both political parties to task for their shameful neglect of tens of millions of Americans. You’ll be riveted to the story, moved to compassion, and inspired to see the world through new eyes.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
MacKinnon, a former Pentagon official and Director of Communications for Senator Bob Dole, grew up abysmally poor in a rough Boston neighborhood, literally having to roll pennies in the dark with his mother in order to pay for food and medicine for his baby sister. In spite of his alcoholic and often absent parents, MacKinnon persevered and flourished, using his "PhD in street smarts," innate intelligence, and a love of science and writing to propel himself forward. "I went through and survived something the vast majority of Americans will never know, understand, or defeat. And because of that I've got a wealth of knowledge on poverty, crime, and human nature that most in politics or life will never have." Detailing his many struggles and triumphs, MacKinnon's is not just a rags-to-riches story as promised by the title, MacKinnon has a message: " We are our brother's keeper' too many of us turn our back on those in need as we dash into our homes lock the doors." At times as dark as a film-noir and at others surprisingly tender, MacKinnon's story is consistently riveting and inspiring.
Customer Reviews
Refreshingly sober view of what it takes to have things handed to you
What a tremendous first hand account of what it's like to have nothing and make something out of sheer strength, love of family, determination, and love of country.
Eye Opener
This will change the way I look at people living in poverty. I've always thought there's a program they can go sign up for or someone else that will help out. It's all of our responsibilities to give a hand up to people who are hurting rich or poor.
Another thought is that we can't influence the people with real power until we expose the world of people who have none. Give them a voice just as the middle class and upper class have been given.