This series of nostalgic essays paints a bittersweet and vivid portrait of American life. Daniel Foxx grew up in 1940s South Carolina. Looking back, he relates important life lessons--some fun, some difficult--he learned as a child as well as those he learned as an adult. Foxx comes to the conclusion that growing up doesn't end when you reach 21, and that growing old comes with its own rewards. A former professor and the father of four sons, he tries to impart the value of his own hard-won knowledge to his children and, even harder, teach them about finding humor in difficult times.