The Boy from the O Hardback - 2010

All journeys begin with a single step, and Kristofer's began in England when he was seven years old and he and a friend went on an early morning adventure and read their files in the orphanage where they were living. Kris's records contained information not usually included. From that moment, Kristofer thought of nothing but becoming a doctor, although practically impossible within the confines of the British educational structure and orphanage policy, and then having a relationship with his father who knew nothing about him. Far from Dickensian, St. Ann's was a good beginning and Kris became the joint project of a loving nun and a priest who gave him the best education possible while dodging adoption. Kris never forgets where he came from. The lessons he learned at the orphanage enabled him to become a responsible adult and incredible parent. There were, however, some things for which he was totally unprepared. How does a man who never celebrated a birthday or received a gift, handle holidays and birthdays as a single parent? How does he develop a relationship with a father who has trouble when the past and the present collide? Kris encounters incredible highs and crushing lows in his journey. He has wonderful friendships with both men and women and his saga is as much about loyalty and forgiveness as it is about finding the right girl, though sometimes at the wrong time. A touching story written with sensitivity, warmth, and interwoven with wit, the reader walks in Kris's shoes as he traverses England and the U.S. looking for credential, love and family.