You might ask why this book was shrink-wrapped, so you couldn't browse through it at a book store. You might ask why there was no Look Inside This Book feature when you checked it out at Amazon.com. I even kept copies from being sent out to reviewers. I wanted everything to be a surprise to the first wave of my fans, who would buy the book just because of my name.
I kept it all a secret because I wanted you to trust me. I want to learn how to trust again just like I did after I lost all trust in 5th grade, more than 40 years ago. Trust is a fickle word in that there are always different ways you can apply it. Trust may come in the form of how you feel you and your best school-yard chum can share a stick of gum and not think you're getting ripped off for half of your stick.
Trust can also be as major as believing your friend will be there for you in a stand-off against a group of slimy, inbred bullies. Unluckily for me on one brisk, almost haunting school afternoon 40 years ago, I could find nobody to trust for such a group. This is how it happened. Fat Josh Provost was the official czar of our school, and he even wore a babushka at times to prove this.1
