“David won’t amount to much.” He slammed the booklet down and left the kitchen. The room started spinning and I couldn’t breathe—he might as well have punched me in the stomach. As I heard the TV come on, I vowed to learn more than anyone in our family and at school—in my own way. I promised myself that someday, when I became rich and famous, everyone would be sorry for making fun of me. Every night, I read until bedtime. Then I read with a flashlight under the covers until I fell asleep. In the morning, I often woke up on top of a book or magazine, and some of the pages would be crinkled or
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