A Chance in the World: An Orphan Boy, a Mysterious Past, and How He Found a Place Called Home
Written by Steve Pemberton
Narrated by Stephen Pemberton
4/5
()
About this audiobook
“Pemberton’s beautifully told story is a rags to riches journey—beginning in a place and with a jarring set of experiences that could have destroyed his life. But Steve’s refusal to give in to those forces, and his resolve to create a better life, shows a courage and resilience that is an example for many of us to follow.”
—Stedman Graham, author, educator
Home is the place where our life stories begin. A Chance in the World is the astonishing true story of a boy destined to become a man of
- resilience
- determination
- and vision.
Down in the dank basement, amidst my moldy, hoarded food and beloved worm-eaten books, I dreamed that my real home, the place where my story had begun, was out there somewhere, and one day I was going to find it.
Taken from his mother at age three, Steve Klakowicz lives a terrifying existence. Caught in the clutches of a cruel foster family and subjected to constant abuse, Steve finds his only refuge in a box of books given to him by a kind stranger. In these books, he discovers new worlds he can only imagine and begins to hope that one day he might have a different life, that one day he will find his true home.
A fair-complexioned boy with blue eyes, a curly Afro, and a Polish last name, he is determined to unravel the mystery of his origins and find his birth family. Armed with just a single clue, Steve embarks on an extraordinary quest for his identity, only to find that nothing is as it appears.
Through it all, Steve’s story teaches us that no matter how broken our past, no matter how great our misfortunes, we have it in us to create a new beginning and to build a place where love awaits.
Steve Pemberton
Steve Pemberton is Chief People Officer for Workhuman, the leading online platform bringing positivity to the workplace through social recognition. Prior to assuming his role at Workhuman, Steve was a Senior Human Resources Executive at Walgreens. Steve and his wife, Tonya, are the proud parents of three children.
More audiobooks from Steve Pemberton
A Chance in the World (Young Readers Edition): An Orphan Boy, a Mysterious Past, and How He Found a Place Called Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lighthouse Effect: How Ordinary People Can Have an Extraordinary Impact in the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to A Chance in the World
Related audiobooks
The Longest Trip Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Only Child and Her Sister: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5American Daughter: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In Pursuit of Love: One Woman’s Journey from Trafficked to Triumphant Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Walk to Beautiful: The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid Who Found the Way Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Once We Were Strangers: What Friendship With a Syrian Refugee Taught Me About Loving My Neighbor Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Under the Overpass Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Sea between Us: The True Story of a Man Who Risked Everything for Family and Freedom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Another Place at the Table Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Fish Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hope's Boy: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Home ~ In Three Short Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Difference Do It Make?: Stories of Hope and Healing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It: A Memoir of My Irish Boyhood Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Forever Family: Fostering Change One Child at a Time Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Come Back Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fox Hunt: A Refugee's Memoir of Coming to America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Fish: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dangerous Love: A True Story of Tragedy, Faith, and Forgiveness in the Muslim World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I Am Hutterite: The Fascinating True Story of a Young Woman's Journey to reclaim Her Heritage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Where the Wind Leads: A Refugee Family's Miraculous Story of Loss, Rescue, and Redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tank Man's Son: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Raising Ryland: Our Story of Parenting a Transgender Child with No Strings Attached Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Divine Collision: An African Boy, An American Lawyer, and Their Remarkable Battle for Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghost Boy: The Miraculous Escape of a Misdiagnosed Boy Trapped Inside His Own Body Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Personal Memoirs For You
Pageboy: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Woman in Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5While Time Remains: A North Korean Girl's Search for Freedom in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Counting the Cost Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: My Year of Psychedelics: Lessons on Better Living Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Finding Me: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Stay Married Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5See You on the Way Down: Catch You on the Way Back Up! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Making It So: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wishful Drinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Night: New translation by Marion Wiesel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bad Mormon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love, Pamela: A Memoir of Prose, Poetry, and Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5People, Places, Things: My Human Landmarks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Year of Magical Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: Built for This: The Quiet Strength of Powerlifting Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Glass Castle: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love, Lucy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writing into the Wound: Understanding trauma, truth, and language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Choice: Escaping the Past and Embracing the Possible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Out of the Wreckage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for A Chance in the World
43 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I guess I'm the only person in the world who hadn't heard about this story. Riveting first half of the book, as the author describes his childhood. 2nd half becomes preachy and if you didn't know that god has a plan to make a little boy suffer years of abuse so that he can attempt to affect some change in the foster system, this book will explain the ever-so-clear (???) logic of this plan. Ummmmm... yah... whatever. But despite the constant god reverence of the later chapters, it was a overall a really good book. Highly recommend.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I cannot honestly say that this book grabbed me from page one. Actually, the first 3 or 4 chapters made me wonder if I would stick with it...but then it grabbed a hold of me and I mean a tight hold! God help anyone who interrupted my reading time once I fell in love with the story of this young abused boy! I'm quite sure that no other book has made me feel so angry before - angry with "The System" and bureaucracy in general. The events in this true story took place in the early 1970's and while I hope that the foster care system has improved dramatically since then, I am not convinced that it has. This young boy, Steve (Klakowicz) Pemberton, was failed repeatedly by so many people that we now call 'Mandated Reporters'. What I like the most about this book is the lesson that small acts of kindness can mean more to the recipient than we ever know. A kind neighbor's gift of a box of books may sound small or insignificant to some, but to Steve the books were an escape to other worlds and the hope of making a new reality for himself someday. The books provided a critical coping mechanism that helped him survive in his harsh conditions.Also notable about A Chance in the World is the historical perspective captured during a racially tumultuous time. This book could be used in a classroom setting and would teach volumes about determination and endurance as well as history.Please note that I received a complementary advance reading copy from the publisher which has not influenced my review. Thank you.