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A New Day One: Trauma, Grace and a Young Man's Journey from Foster Care to Yale
Every day is a new opportunity for "A New Day One". Walker gets it right. No one can go back and make a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.
Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Rodney faced incredible hardships in the foster care system and coping with family drug problems and violence. But through sheer determination and the support of some key mentors, Rodney was able to reach for new heights as an entrepreneur and a Yale University graduate. A New Day One is Rodney's story of triumph over adversity, filled with valuable principles and life lessons that are sure to inspire you into action.
Whether you are an inner-city youth or a high-net-worth businessman, there is something to be learned from Rodney's incredible story.
Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Rodney faced incredible hardships in the foster care system and coping with family drug problems and violence. But through sheer determination and the support of some key mentors, Rodney was able to reach for new heights as an entrepreneur and a Yale University graduate. A New Day One is Rodney's story of triumph over adversity, filled with valuable principles and life lessons that are sure to inspire you into action.
Whether you are an inner-city youth or a high-net-worth businessman, there is something to be learned from Rodney's incredible story.
- GenresMemoir
172 pages, Hardcover
Published March 28, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 27, 2016
Rodney is an amazing men who tells his story with honesty and passion. This is an encouraging story to never give up - we can always make a new beginning.
August 29, 2016
The first part of the book, through high school, was a 5 star book. It did an excellent job of portraying his life and his frustrations, as well as the determination of his mentor. The book also does a very good job of discussing some of the factors that go into the lack of a nurturing environment. I would have liked to have heard more about his college and master's degree years. Also, I'd like to have more suggestions from him on approaches he thinks would be helpful for kids growing up in a similar situation. It's clear that people who have never been in that environment have good intentions, but lack the experience to know what will work in real life.
July 21, 2017
I read this as a companion piece to the oft-suggested Hillbilly Elegy, and I found it much more inspiring. Not to dismiss the hardships related by J.D. Vance, but I think it's important to remember that blacks in America have faced those hardships coupled with the ever present undercurrents of racism that flow throughout America. This book moved me.
Quotes:
"..no one can go back and make a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."
"We are all more than our past."
"I had never really experienced someone supporting me like that before, and strangely enough, having someone else stand up for me made me understand the importance of a story, something worth fighting for. Someone else seeing my value and being willing to fight for me triggered me to see my life in a new way--and what I saw in myself was something worth fighting for."
"A young person has to experience a moment when they see themselves in a different way. They have to have an encounter so strong that they shift their mind-set. It doesn't have to be a mentor sitting them down in a classroom and telling them to let go. It can literally happen by helping them to envision themselves as adults and seeing where they want their lives to be. One of the most effective ways to inspire and empower young people is through the lens of education and opportunity. We must equip students with the knowledge and the wherewithal to take on the opportunities presented them."
"But there's a different type of education needed for a child living in poverty. We have to strengthen their ability to adapt to any adversity, any challenge, any area of great struggle. If we can teach an individual how to deal with the complexities of life, that's the greatest education we can give. . ."
"Kids growing up in extreme poverty are being taught math, history, English, and science at a time when they have real trauma going on in their lives -- and then they are expected to be successful. The reality is that most children under these conditions will never be successful--not because they aren't capable of learning but because they haven't recovered from the trauma in their lives."
"Children growing up in crime-ridden communities have likely experienced a great deal of trauma by the time they're thirteen or fourteen years old. From death to physical and sexual abuse to abandonment and neglect, children are exposed to all sorts of traumatic events that have become all too commonplace in their communities. They've seen people who were shot and killed. They know people who were molested. Some of them were molested themselves. They understand the elements of drugs, gangs, and corruption but we don't have trauma centers in high schools or grade schools to help them process it all.
When we improve education policies in these areas by providing a structure that allows willing leaders to share their knowledge of the students' adversities and how to overcome them, mentors like Mr. McGrone can come into our schools, change lives, and make society better as a whole."
Quotes:
"..no one can go back and make a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."
"We are all more than our past."
"I had never really experienced someone supporting me like that before, and strangely enough, having someone else stand up for me made me understand the importance of a story, something worth fighting for. Someone else seeing my value and being willing to fight for me triggered me to see my life in a new way--and what I saw in myself was something worth fighting for."
"A young person has to experience a moment when they see themselves in a different way. They have to have an encounter so strong that they shift their mind-set. It doesn't have to be a mentor sitting them down in a classroom and telling them to let go. It can literally happen by helping them to envision themselves as adults and seeing where they want their lives to be. One of the most effective ways to inspire and empower young people is through the lens of education and opportunity. We must equip students with the knowledge and the wherewithal to take on the opportunities presented them."
"But there's a different type of education needed for a child living in poverty. We have to strengthen their ability to adapt to any adversity, any challenge, any area of great struggle. If we can teach an individual how to deal with the complexities of life, that's the greatest education we can give. . ."
"Kids growing up in extreme poverty are being taught math, history, English, and science at a time when they have real trauma going on in their lives -- and then they are expected to be successful. The reality is that most children under these conditions will never be successful--not because they aren't capable of learning but because they haven't recovered from the trauma in their lives."
"Children growing up in crime-ridden communities have likely experienced a great deal of trauma by the time they're thirteen or fourteen years old. From death to physical and sexual abuse to abandonment and neglect, children are exposed to all sorts of traumatic events that have become all too commonplace in their communities. They've seen people who were shot and killed. They know people who were molested. Some of them were molested themselves. They understand the elements of drugs, gangs, and corruption but we don't have trauma centers in high schools or grade schools to help them process it all.
When we improve education policies in these areas by providing a structure that allows willing leaders to share their knowledge of the students' adversities and how to overcome them, mentors like Mr. McGrone can come into our schools, change lives, and make society better as a whole."
July 3, 2018
I had the privilege of hearing Rodney Walker as a keynote speaker (and I also attended one of his breakout sessions) at a recent counseling conference. He was a phenomenal speaker/presenter and I found myself wishing I could listen to him all day. I am in awe of his amazing story and all that he has overcome. Although I didn’t find his book to be as dynamic as his face-to-face presentation, it was still very thought-provoking, and I look forward to his next book, “The Wounds You Cannot See,” scheduled to be released before the end of the year.
March 1, 2018
Good book. Autobiography of the author about his life from poverty and foster care
to college. Not a long read. It's a great personal story. But the book does not dig in to policy or anything on a larger scale. If you are looking to hear a testimony of a changed life it's a good read though.
to college. Not a long read. It's a great personal story. But the book does not dig in to policy or anything on a larger scale. If you are looking to hear a testimony of a changed life it's a good read though.
January 9, 2019
A pretty powerful story about a young man overcoming inter generational poverty. It’s an insight into a world unlike that most of us know and a definite addition to developing empathy. An easy read, it deep but important.
July 11, 2020
An story of a young man’s difficult childhood. He provides A glimpse into Chicago foster care system, and his dysfunctional parents who constantly fight drug addiction. His story shows that challenges early in life can be overcome with effort and direction.
June 2, 2019
Inspirational! This is why I am in the field of education. You never know how much you can influence and change the trajectory of a student. Thank you, Rodney J. Walker, for sharing your story!
January 2, 2017
This book was selected for one of the Lake County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Book Club meetings. I was able to read the whole thing on a day of a 2 hour flight.
Rodney Walker is a remarkable man. He tells his story with the hope of encouraging those in similar situations to see the possibility of a better life, and with the hope of helping those of us who grew up with more stable childhoods to better understand the many barriers faced by people like himself when trying to escape the fate of their families and peers.
Much of the background material that Walker shares in this book is information that forms a large part of the training of a CASA, so this book was not the revelation for me that it might be for some. What struck me most was when he described how, after finally moving back in with his parents at age 17 (basically because he abandoned his foster home, not because his parents were in any better situation to provide for his needs), he realized that he had no thoughts for his future. He had spent his entire youth and early teenhood trying to figure out how to get back "home," and that had left no energy left for any dreams beyond that.
Rodney Walker is a remarkable man. He tells his story with the hope of encouraging those in similar situations to see the possibility of a better life, and with the hope of helping those of us who grew up with more stable childhoods to better understand the many barriers faced by people like himself when trying to escape the fate of their families and peers.
Much of the background material that Walker shares in this book is information that forms a large part of the training of a CASA, so this book was not the revelation for me that it might be for some. What struck me most was when he described how, after finally moving back in with his parents at age 17 (basically because he abandoned his foster home, not because his parents were in any better situation to provide for his needs), he realized that he had no thoughts for his future. He had spent his entire youth and early teenhood trying to figure out how to get back "home," and that had left no energy left for any dreams beyond that.
January 17, 2017
This is another opportunity for me to try to understand the lives of people who grow up in difficult circumstances. Walker, an African-American male, from Chicago's South Side, grew up in the foster care system and returned to his family at age 17, learning that his parents were still unable to care for him and his siblings. Through some luck and being open to amazing mentoring, he was able to leave the broken community of his family, attend Morehouse and Yale, and make a good life for himself.
November 2, 2016
I had the pleasure of hearing this young man speak. He has overcome a lot of adversity in his life to make a better future for himself and his future family. A good read about the struggles of living in care and what that brings but not letting that define who you are in your present life and in your future.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews