Ticket to Ride: The Promise of America

by Don Hussey

In this unflinchingly honest memoir, military man, teacher, successful small businessman and candidate for the U.S. Congress, Don Hussey describes in rich detail how he, after dropping out of high school, outwitted the odds to bring home his "ticket to ride." Fighting his way through every setback and every obstacle, Hussey set his sights on the impossible and never looked backuntil one late-night accident of fate stopped him cold. How he responded is the triumph over adversity that has come to define him. It is the lessons learned then, and throughout his remarkable life, that he shares in his Ticket to Ride.

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

Don Hussey’s early years were riddled with instability and relentless adversity. From living in a home for displaced children to moving from town to town along Boston’s South Shore, Hussey suffered under the hateful thumb of an abusive alcoholic stepfather.
Don eventually quit high school to find work supporting himself, his mother and younger brother, who had been born a hemophiliac.
On May 5, 1960, he left the torment of a hopeless future and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, serving from 1960 to 1964 in the Air Force Security Service (USAFSS). Following basic training, he graduated from the Advanced Morse code tele-communications school at Keesler AFB in Mississippi and subsequently served a yearlong tour of duty on a remote frozen island in the Bering Straits off the coast of Alaska. He has subsequently earned two advanced degrees, taught school in the public sector, became a businessman, and more recently entered the race for U.S. Congress from Massachusetts.
He has two adult children and three grandchildren and lives with his wife in Hingham, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Suzy Leopold · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this memoir. It was difficult to put down. Through perseverance and a can do attitude, Mr. Hussey made his way through life & achieved much success. Thank you for your service in the USAF. I connected to Mr. Hussey's memories during his college years at SIU. My husband grew up in Glen Carbon, IL and I grew up in Mpls. We lived in San Antonio, TX for many years. We now live 23 miles north of Edwardsville.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inevitably, this book will become required reading in every high school and college across America.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving memoir of a father whose son is a young Army officer going to serve in Iraq and the emotional impact it has on the author.