James Patterson is the world's bestselling author. The creator of Alex Cross, he has produced more enduring fictional heroes than any other novelist alive. How did a kid whose dad lived in the poorhouse become the most successful storyteller in the world?

Some of Patterson's best stories are the stories of his own life: on the morning he was born, he nearly died. He worked at a mental hospital in Massachusetts, where he met the singer James Taylor, and the poet Robert Lowell. In a series of short vignettes-- most only two to four pages-- Patterson takes us on a journey through his own life. He wants to tell you some stories... the way he remembers them, anyway--Adapted from jacket