Table of Contents
Foreword Mitch Albom xi
Author's Note John U. Bacon xvii
Preface: Looking Over the Edge xix
Introduction xxiii
Part 1 Growing up the Hard Way
1 An Oasis of Love 3
2 An Indecent Proposal 10
3 Playing with Fire 13
4 He Ain't Heavy 27
5 The Salvation of Sports 30
6 Looking for a Little Relief 36
7 My Two Selves 42
8 The Drug Business 47
9 Hurting Myself 51
Part 2 Trying to Build a Better Life
10 Moving Out, Moving On, Moving Back 57
11 Falling in Love 70
12 Go West 76
13 Getting Married 80
14 Country John Saunders 84
15 Chasing a New Dream 94
16 Making It in Moncton 99
17 Bright Lights, Big City 111
18 Big Man in Baltimore 118
19 A Family of My Own 132
20 The Worldwide Leader 139
21 Our Sister 144
22 Livin' in America 150
Part 3 The Façade Cracks
23 The Psych Ward 157
24 Dr. Dangerous 171
25 Falling Backward 175
26 Scaling Mt. Sinai 182
27 Learning to Walk 190
28 A High-Stakes Stroll in the Park 200
29 Ready for Prime Time? 211
30 Testing, Testing 218
Part 4 Collision Course
31 The Damage of Doctor Dangerous Revealed 227
32 Let the Bad Times Roll 232
33 Stumbling Toward Unhappiness 238
34 A Day in the Doldrums 244
35 Peering Over the Tappan Zee Bridge 249
36 Back to the Bridge 254
37 Crunch Time 257
38 You've Got to Admit It's Getting Better 263
39 Jimmy V, Dickie V, and Cardio V 268
40 Learning the Best Lesson 277
Afterword John U. Bacon 283
Acknowledgments John U. Bacon 291