Outskirts Press, INC.

A Life Well-Lived Despite the Odds

John Garlick was born with the deck stacked against him: the youngest of six children born to a metis family of Irish, French, and Chippewa Indian in a small town in Montana where classism and racism were alive and well. In addition to these disadvantages, John was gay…and there was no place in this world for a gay man. As John learned to navigate a world where bullying and prejudice never stopped, he also learned about his own incredible strengths as a compassionate caregiver, as a musician, and as a man who was able to maintain balance and perspective through self-discipline, humor, and the ability to both give and receive the deepest and most lasting kinds of love. This candid, intelligent, and insightful memoir is a testament to what one person can accomplish by staying true to principles of integrity and hope for change, even in circumstances that seem impossible.