Without A Compass

Born into hardship and loss, a young man struggles to escape the grip of Cincinnati's West End after his mother's death leaves him vulnerable to abuse, poverty, and the pull of prison. With no clear path forward, survival becomes his first lesson.

Shaped by the social upheavals of his generation, he endures setbacks that test his resolve and redefine his purpose. In a neighborhood where ambition can isolate, and education can feel like betrayal, earning a college degree becomes both an achievement and a battle.

Without A Compass is a powerful memoir of resilience, redemption, and the courage to rise beyond the street that raised you.

Martin Terrell and his wife, Jeanette, live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with their well-pampered dog, Charlie. Now retired, Martin spent more than twenty years in higher education and nonprofit development, humorously referring to himself as a "professional beggar" during his career as a campaign manager and major gift fundraiser.He is the co-author of The Social, Political, and Economic Contexts of Public Relations, a graduate-level journalism textbook, and the children's book Amanda Salamander Discovers the Secret of Happily Ever After.In addition to this relaunched edition of Without A Compass, he is the author of Unseen Scars: Cold, Cruel, Deeply Rooted and Ever Present and You're Only Innocent Once, And Once Is Not Enough-continuing his exploration of memory, identity, justice, and lived experience.