Daniel Lavery

When choosing your life's purpose, follow your heart, not Dad's advice. Transformation from a child to a musician, a three sport athlete at Morgan Park Military Academy in Chicago, Yokohama High School in Japan, and Long Beach Jordan High in California, shaped Dan's early life. A Duke two-sport athlete and frat brother, Annapolis grad, naval aviator and ship navigator, he resigned, attended Hastings College of Law, turned peace activist, and became a civil rights lawyer for Cesar Chavez's UFW and ACLU of Southern California. He faced challenges, conflicts, and dangers against some of America's most powerful forces. He retired as a civil rights attorney with thirty-four years of experience litigating wrongful termination, defamation, police misconduct cases and appeals.

A judge ordered Dan when five to leave his mother and live with his Dad, a naval officer who molded him for the military. A number of luminous childhood moments reveal that his Mom and Grandmother "Ruthie" planted seeds in Dan that were bound to sprout later. He began an intense campaign determined to find gratifying work that would motivate him for the rest of his life. All the Difference is filled with creative images the writer developed from his love of nature, and powerful experiences, some luminous, others deadly and many humorous. The author places himself in real scenes in all his vulnerability as he faced conflicts, romance, and adventures that challenged his wits, strength, and determination. A baseball buff, he learned resilience, tenacity, and litigation expertise against all the odds.

He finally rejected his father's plan for his life and found his "road less traveled." He shares illuminating experiences involving successes and failures while going from a military pawn to a champion for the poor and powerless, finally able to make a difference in many lives including his own.

Dan's webpage link,http://www.danielclavery.com contains memoir excerpts, other writings, poems, short stories, humor, songs, videos, and other media. His Memoir can be accessed for purchase or free look inside of the first 6 1/2 chapters on Amazon's Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BNXHV9Q and for many other electronic outlets at smashwords.com/books/291857. A paperback version is available at createspace.com/title/4061419.You may communicate with Dan at djasb@aol.com or access his facebook blog at www.facebook.com/danielclavery.