First time author's new memoir celebrates indomitable human spirit
DES MOINES, Iowa - At the age of 96, Desmond Halcomb Bragg has a lifetime of stories to tell. In his recently released memoir, he looks back at his journey and how he overcame seemingly insurmountable odds including being orphaned at the age of four, poverty, homelessness, and a tragic accident that left him paralyzed. Readers will follow Bragg on his transformative odyssey in "Started Out from Texas" (published by Xlibris).
Born in 1918, Bragg grew up in an orphanage in Beaumont, Texas, until he was sent to live with a foster family on a dairy farm at the age of 11. At 16, he dropped out of high school and left Texas for good on a freight train at midnight, in the middle of the Great Depression. Bragg was determined to seek out his fortune with nothing in his pockets but fifty cents and a biscuit. Now, 80 years later, Bragg recognizes that fortune has come in a variety of forms - a rewarding life, lasting relationships, nuggets of wisdom and incredible resilience.
"Started Out from Texas" chronicles Bragg's remarkable life from childhood to the present. Although personal in nature, the themes in this account are universal, a tribute to the indomitable human spirit and an authentic American story of a young boy who dared to follow his dreams. The author's courage shines throughout the pages of this book.
"Almost everyone faces some challenges growing up and the transition to adult life is still a difficult time in any person's life," Bragg says, "If a poor, uneducated orphan boy from Texas can make it, so can you!"
"Started Out from Texas"
By Desmond Halcomb Bragg
Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 142 pages | ISBN 9781499080841
Softcover | 6 x 9in | 142 pages | ISBN 9781499080858
E-Book | 142 pages | ISBN 9781499080865
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
Desmond Halcomb Bragg was born in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1918. He holds a bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctorate in education from the University of Wisconsin. He and his wife, Jean, have three children. They settled in Iowa and Bragg became a college professor at Drake University for 25 years.
